The Second Time Around
by stillplayingpretend
Summary: Desperate to save her friend from the trauma of his past, Hermione repeatedly de-ages an angst filled Harry against his will mentally, physically, and emotionally to the age of five. Lots of fluff ahead. A Harry is Deaged fic, takes place during 5th year but is loose with the canon timeline. Please R/R, my first fic so please be gentle!
1. Hermione's Last Resort

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling and none of these characters are mine.

Hermione Granger was not sure how she got a reputation as someone who loved rules.

Certainly Hermione saw the need to abide by the common sense restrictions put in place by the teachers of Hogwarts on most issues. She had come infto Hogwarts a naïve muggleborn girl who could not conceive of a world where adults were not all knowing, all benevolent figures. She trusted in them and their rules because she craved the order they provided, and because she believed in her heart that they would never lead her or her fellow students astray. But that illusion had eroded away as the year went on, and finally shattered all together when she found herself following Harry Potter and Ron Weasley down the trap door after the philosopher's stone.

The next year saw her brewing Polyjuice potion in an abandoned bathroom just feet from the abode of a deadly basilisk (though they didn't know that at the time). By the time third year came around using time travel to help an ex-con escape from soul sucking dementors while attempting to capture her friend's parent's _rat _betrayer, all while evading a rampaging werewolf - seemed natural.

Admittedly, maybe she had gone too far in the past. Trapping Rita Skeeter in her animagus form and keeping her in a jar all summer had been fun and got her point across, but it had been highly illegal and probably a moral grey area as well. But drastic times called for drastic measures. Now that Voldemort had returned, undoubtedly the grey areas were about to become more grey as those on the light side were forced to make hard decisions in order to keep the wizarding world from falling into his clutches. Hermione knew that very soon they would all have to make terrible choices in order to keep the wizarding world free and to keep those that they loved alive and safe. And aside from her parents, there was no one that Hermione Granger loved more than her two best friends, Ron and Harry.

"_Harry_," Hermione thought grimly to herself as she bent over her cauldron. Harry Potter was the wizarding world's best bet against the oncoming storm. Harry, who had now fought Voldemort and won four times. Harry, who was the symbol of the Light, the boy-who-lived, their best hope against tyranny and genocide.

Harry, who couldn't sleep through the night, who awoke screaming Cedric's name, shuddering against the memory of blinding green lights and robed monsters who wore the faces of men. Harry, who grew more irritable every day, who flinched at loud noises and yelled at his friends, refusing to let them share in his pain. Clearly Harry was suffering from some form of PTSD, but Hermione was appalled to find that the wizarding world was far behind its muggle counterpart in the area of counseling and pastoral care. They didn't even have an equivalent of a psychiatrist that she could have urged Harry to go see, and none of the adults at school or in the Order seemed to be willing or able to get through to him.

In any other situation, Hermione may have left Harry alone. But the ministry was looking for any excuse to cart Harry off to the loony bin in order to discredit his claims that Voldemort had returned. And Harry himself seemed incapable of holding his temper, arguing with Umbridge in class and alienating fellow students who may have been able to be turned to their way of thinking if not for Harry's fury. If Harry didn't begin to deal with his pain soon, Voldemort and his death eaters wouldn't have to kill him, Umbridge would do it for them. And that Hermione could not allow.

Whatever else was true of Hermione Granger, she loved her friends.

And it was that love that drove her to research deeper magics, to go looking for any way to help her friend deal with his trauma before it consumed him alive. The spell she had found was tricky one, part-charm and part-potion. The hardest part would be dosing Harry with it, but if she was able to get past that then they would be in the clear. She had no doubt that Harry would be furious with her once he realized what she had done. It would all be worth it though, if this potion helped Harry process through the rage and despair that had taken up residence in his heart. The rage and despair that, lets be honest, had been born 14 years ago that fateful Halloween night and had grown in the garden of abuse and neglect that had been Number 4 Privet Dr.

Hermione looked out into the black night as she gently stirred her cauldron one last time. The brew bubbled for a moment, turned a vibrant blue color, and then settled. She took out her wand, tapped the edge of the cauldron twice, and the potion turned an unassuming clear color. Her breath caught in throat as she stared into the cauldron – she had done it. The potion was ready.

All that was left was to somehow get the potion to Harry. Harry might not display the constant vigilance that Moody was always harping on about, but he was no fool either. He knew that he would be a target for many people both inside and outside of Hogwarts, and he wasn't likely to eat or drink anything that didn't come directly from the Hogwarts kitchens.

Hermione grimaced. That would make things harder for her. She would have to dose him during mealtimes, which meant the potential for witnesses would be higher. It would probably be impossible to keep what she had done from the staff if she was successful, but she would rather keep the other students out of it. That meant that she would have to slip him the potion and cast the spell quickly and quietly, and then activate the charm in a private place where she could explain to him what was happening.

The common room wouldn't work, nor would any of the classrooms in the surrounding area. Hermione stood up and looked around the potions lab that she was brewing in. Dobby had told her that it was something called "the room of requirement" and that it would become any room that she needed it too be. It was ideal, not just for explaining the charm to Harry (and lets face it - Ron, who would probably be impossible to keep out of this even if she was sure she wanted to) but also as a safe place for him to be after the spell was cast. The problem would be getting two irritated boys to come up several flights of stairs with her without them demanding that she stop and explain to them what had just happened. How would she get them up here so she could activate the charm?

She looked around and then spoke hesitantly into the darkness. "Dobby?"

With a CRACK the little knobbly elf appeared in front of her, covered in numerous hats and gloves and all manner of socks so that his whole body appeared almost to be a mass of wool and linen. She had gotten to know Dobby through her SPEW work, out of all of the Hogwarts elves Dobby was the only one that would speak to her about elvish suffrage. He smiled broadly and gave a little squeak of excitement. "Miss. Harry Potter's friend is calling Dobby! Is Harry Potter's Mione liking the come-and-go room like Dobby said?"

Hermione smiled kindly at the little elf. "Yes, thank you Dobby it's exactly what I needed. I wanted to ask you a question. Our second year, you tried to keep Harry from returning to Hogwarts, didn't you?"

Dobby's brow furrowed as he acknowledged her question. "Dobby did, Harry Potter's Mione, but it did not work. Harry Potter is a great wizard and managed to get here even though Dobby was trying his hardest to protect him from his bad master."

Hermione considered the little elf for a moment. "You tried to get him expelled. You shut down the barrier so he couldn't get through. And you sent a bludger to break his arm during a quidditch game."

Dobby let out a squeaky distressed noise. "Dobby was not meaning to hurt Harry Potter! Dobby only wanted to protect Harry potter from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

"I know that," Hermione said soothingly. "Dobby, would you help Harry Potter again, to keep him safe, even if it was something that didn't make him happy?"

Dobby considered her carefully. "Dobby would do anything to keep Harry Potter safe."

Hermione smiled and knelt down so that she was eye level with the little elf. "Would you help me Dobby?" She leaned over and quickly whispered her plan into Dobby's bat-like ears.

Dobby's already giant eyes grew round as saucers as he listened to her speak. She pulled back and looked helplessly into Dobby's wary gaze. "Will you help me Dobby? Will you help me keep Harry Potter safe? Will you help me save him from all the people who have hurt him? Will you help me save him from himself?"

Dobby nodded slowly as Hermione stood up again. "Dobby will come when Miss. Mione calls. He will help her keep Harry Potter safe."

"Thank you Dobby!" Hermione sighed in relief. Dobby nodded his giant head again and with a CRACK he was gone.

Hermione went over to cauldron and bottled up the contents with a sweep of her wand. Tomorrow she would put her plan into practice. She yawned and looked at her watch. It was quarter to three, she needed to head to bed soon if she wanted to get any sleep. For a moment she stood there, weighing the consequences of what she was about to do. Harry would probably never speak to her again. Ron would likely follow suit. But sacrifices would have to be made in order to save her friend from himself. And two things that would always be true were this: Hermione Granger loved her friends.

And there was nothing she wouldn't do for the greater good.


	2. Facti Sunt Puer

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling and none of these characters are mine.

Harry Potter yawned in annoyance as he made his way into the great hall for breakfast. He sat down next to Neville and began to load his plate with bacon and eggs, gloomily staring at the table as he listened to Ron prattle on about the Cannons across from him. He'd been up late penning a letter to Sirius, trying to get him to let slip what the Order was guarding and why Dumbledore seemed to be ignoring him this year. So far all of his responses had been vaguely worded reassurances to trust Dumbledore, and that he would tell him more when they had the chance to meet in person.

Harry scowled as he speared a piece of egg onto his fork, glowering around the room. Neville paled as his gaze momentarily fell on the round-faced boy, causing Neville to stutter a poorly formed "Good morning" before dashing off to Transfiguration early. The thought of class caused Harry's scowl to deepen. Today was Transfiguration, followed by double potions and finally DADA. Merlin, what had he done to piss off the universe to get Snape and Umbridge in one day. He would be lucky to make it to lunch without earning another 10 detentions for himself.

Across the table Ron's smile began to strain. He was not as oblivious as his friends seemed to think he was, and he could see Harry's mood darkening. He continued to rant on and on about the benefits of having a chaser-based strategy rather than a seeker based one, hoping against hope that he could head off Harry's temper before he exploded. Fortunately, Harry seemed to decide to take out his ire on his breakfast, rather than on his friends this time. As Harry crunched down hard on a piece of bacon, Ron gave an internal sigh of relief. Harry was his best mate, and yeah, he'd been through some stuff for sure. But he was growing tired of having his head bit off all the time. If his choices were between a breakfast of sullen silence and one of unprovoked yelling, well, he'd take the former every time.

Just then Hermione came running in and slid into Neville's empty seat with a winded "huff." Like Harry, there were bags under her eyes as though she'd also had a sleepless night. _Probably up reorganizing her old textbooks or something_ thought Harry sarcastically. He poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice and barked a curt "Morning."

"Where've you been 'Mione." Ron asked, passing her a tray of scones.

"I overslept" She said hurriedly. "I _told _Parvati and Lavender to wake me up when they left but they must have forgot. I meant to be here _ages _ago."

Harry snorted. "Up late reading?"

Hermione glanced at him as she frantically smeared jam on her scone. "Ancient runes homework. I'd completely forgotten to add a section comparing the techniques of Greek and Peruvian runes. It's not on the syllabus, but I'm sure I heard Professor Vector mention it in passing. It changes the whole background of what we know about runes, the fact that they're similar may point to an established contact between the two cultures much earlier than we know of, which would change the way–"

"Mione" Harry said rolling his eyes. "That's my cup, not yours."

"Oh sorry Harry!" Hermione said, growing even more frazzled. She handed him back his cup and quickly poured herself a glass from the pitcher. "I need to go see McGonagall before class and see if she can give me a pass to the restricted section. I might be able to find out more information there."

"Did Professor Vector actually assign this essay?" asked Ron knowingly.

Hermione frowned. "Well no, but it's fascinating stuff and I might be able to get a little extra credit if I show her that I followed up on her suggestion."

"Hermione" Ron said exasperatedly. "When have you ever needed extra credit in anything."

Harry rolled his eyes again as the two fell into their familiar pattern of bickering. He took a swig of his pumpkin juice as he let the comforting sound wash over him. Then he stopped suddenly. A strange after taste filled his mouth, like sweet apples with an undercurrent of something bitter. He looked down into his glass in horror as an urgent tingling sensation began to pass through him. He looked up again, mouth open to raise the alarm –

And found himself faced with Hermione's wand, inches from his nose.

"_Facti Sunt Puer!"_ hissed Hermione.

Immediately Harry felt dizzy and the Great Hall began to swim in front of him. Ron's shocked face seemed to double, then triple as he searched desperately for his equilibrium.

"Dobby!" Hermione hissed again, then with a resounding CRACK Harry suddenly found himself hurtling through the air and landing with a resounding _thud_ in a room he'd never seen before. There was a fire going in the fire place, and nearby were several chairs with a game of chess that looked half played. Beyond that was a bed, and what appeared to be… toys? _Actually_ Harry noted with confusion, it wasn't a normal bed at all, but what appeared to be the bed of a child. Not that Harry had ever had a real bed when he was a kid, but it was smaller and the sheets seemed to have race cars on it, not unlike what Dudley had had when they were small. Harry shook his head as the last of the dizziness left him. While the first half of the room appeared to be a sitting room not unlike the Gryffindor common room, the second half was all set up for a child, with all manner of toys and activities to play with, something that confused Harry to no end. And he wasn't the only one.

"Bloody hell Hermione, what's going on!"

Harry looked over to see Ron sprawled on the floor where he must have landed. Harry looked from his best mate on the floor to Hermione, who was now standing in front of the fire, her face flushed with victory as she stared at Harry. Her fatigue and panic seemed to have miraculously disappeared, leaving behind a grim determination. She stared at him resolutely, like a general facing a battle that they know they must fight no matter the cost. Something in the set of her jaw made Harry's stomach sink, as he warily returned her gaze.

"Hermione, what did you do?"

She smiled grimly at him in response. "I told you, you have to deal with your grief."

Harry blinked in confusion. "What?"

"You won't deal with your grief Harry, and it's tearing you apart. If you keep on like this it's going to eat you alive and leave you with nothing left but your own bitterness. I did what I had to do."

"Hermione," said Harry with mounting anger and dread. "WHAT DID YOU DO!"

Hermione surveyed Harry carefully, then with a tilt of her head, looked him in the eye and said "Thestral."

Immediately Harry's world began to spin again. The tingling returned with a vengeance, burning a path through his body and leaving a strange shivering sensation in its place. Harry doubled over, feeling like his bones and his organs were being bent in half, trying to string together a coherent thought long enough to figure out what the bloody hell was _happening_, when-

Just like that it was over.

Harry opened his eyes again and stumbled over his robe as he tried to regain his feet. He blinked, looking around the room confusedly. Everything in the room appeared to have grown, from the fireplace to the chairs and the toys in the corner. He looked down at his hands in bewilderment, both of them now just seemed to _tiny_. He sought the faces of his two best friends, only to find that they seemed to have grown too. _No, not grown _Harry realized suddenly. He had shrunk. That was the logical explanation for why everything seemed to be so big, and why his robes no longer fit him. He stared hard at the faces of Ron and Hermione – Ron's shocked and appalled and Hermione's triumphant. Something else was different too. It wasn't just that they seemed bigger. They seemed… more mature. _Older, _Harry realized abruptly. _They both look so much older than me!_"

Had Ron and Hermione both aged? No, that didn't make any sense. Not with the rest of the room seeming to have grown as well. Which only left one answer.

"Merlin's pants!" whispered Ron.

Harry Potter was a child again. He had been deaged.

* * *

"Merlin's pants Hermione!" said the shocked Ron again. "You turned him into a baby!"

"He's not a baby Ronald" Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes. "He's five."

"FIVE!" yelled Harry angrily. He quickly clapped his hands over his mouth in horror. His voice had come out in a high-pitched, prepubescent squeak. He dashed over to a mirror hanging by the fireplace, only to let out another agitated gasp of astonishment. The reflection staring back at him showed a small, black-haired boy with wide green eyes. Harry raised his arm and the child in the mirror followed suit, gaping in disbelief at his new body. He twirled around and fixed Hermione with a deadly glare, which would have been more effective had he not tripped on the hem of his robe and fallen flat on his face.

Hermione dashed forward and helped the now small child regain his feet. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Harry snarled as he yanked his arm away. "YOU FIX THIS RIGHT NOW, YOU PUT ME BACK TO RIGHTS."  
Hermione looked him over from top to bottom, then put her hands on her hips and briskly said "No."

"Hermione" Harry warned.

"No!" Hermione said shortly. "I've told you time and time again that you have to deal with your emotions before they get the better of you. Well, now you'll have no choice. You're going to process your grief and work through your trauma whether you like it or not."

"This is cause he won't talk about his feelings?" asked a flabbergasted Ron. "Bloody hell Hermione, how is being five going to help with that?"

"Stop cursing Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Children can't repress emotions the same way that adults do. They're more honest and more open with what they're feeling. Harry will get a chance to work through Cedric's death and all of the other horrible things that he's been through without his inhibitions and stubborn male pride getting in the way."

"One problem with that plan Hermione." said Harry icily. "You cast your spell, and the only thing I want to talk about is whether you're going to reverse it before I curse you into next week."

Hermione smirked. "Well that might be true. For _now_."

Harry's blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

Hermione smiled gently at him. "I mean Harry, that the spell hasn't taken full effect yet. It isn't just a physical transformation. It's a complete mental, physical, and emotional deaging. For the next twenty-four hours you will be in every way, five years of age."

"WHAT!" Harry screamed. He looked frantically at all the kids supplies scattered throughout the room, their purpose taking on a horrible new clarity. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME! HONESTLY HERMIONE, OF ALL THE HARE-BRAINED, IDIOTIC, _CONDESCENDING_ THINGS-"

"What did you mean, twenty-four hours?" asked Ron suddenly. "This is going to wear off in a day?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, this round will wear off."

Harry pulled his wand out at pointed it at her menacingly – well, as menacingly as one can be when one has taken on the form of an adorable three-foot kid. "What do you mean, THIS round?"

"The spell is continuous. Each round lasts one day, but the spell can be triggered at any point if someone says the code-word in your presence."

"There isn't going to be a next time, because you're going to TAKE THIS CURSE OFF ME."

"No," said Hermione firmly "I'm not. You may not like it Harry but it had to be done. The way you were going Umbridge was going to cart you off to Azkaban next week. Something had to happen."

"That wasn't your _bloody call to make-_"

"HOLD UP!" interrupted Ron. "Are you saying if anybody says 'thestral' in front of Harry, he's going to turn into a five-year-old? What if Malfoy, or Snape, or Umbridge finds out? What if Hagrid teaches on them in class? What if we're about to get run over by one, and someone yells, 'look out a thestral!' Are you telling me Harry's going to deage every time?"

"Give me a little credit Ronald, of course I didn't make it so the spell could be activated by just anybody. Just Order members, you, and me."

Ron blinked. "Me?"

"Yes," said Hermione graciously "Seeing as the two of us are going to be doing most of the full time caring, it seemed right to add you to the list as well."

Ron blinked again. "Caring?"

Hermione nodded vigorously. "Since the two of us are the only students who know what's going on, it's mostly going to be you and me. Of course, we'll have to tell Dumbledore. I didn't tell him before because I was worried he wouldn't approve of the curse being cast but now that it's done I think he may be open to leaving things be. He might want to arrange for more sophisticated care for Harry as things go on, but that'll be his call. At least for the next twenty -four hours though, it's just us and Dobby."

"Dobby?"

'Oh yes, he was ever so helpful in getting everything in order. He's really quite attached to Harry, and once I explained to him that this would be in Harry's best interest he was more than willing."

"Excuse me!" barked Harry again. "No one is going to be caring for me at all, because you are going to undo this curse _now._"

Hermione glanced at him condescendingly. "No."

Rage boiled up inside of Harry. He pointed his wand at Hermione furiously and yelled "IMPEDIMENTA!"

Nothing happened.

Harry stared at his wand in surprise. He pointed his wand a second time at the witch. "Expelliarmus!"

Again nothing.

"Incarcerous!" Harry said frantically. "Stupify, stupify, aguamenti!"

A jet of harmless water shot out of Harry's wand toward Hermione. He looked up at her dumbfounded. "I can't attack you?"

Hermione raised her eyebrow. "It would appear not."

Harry stared down at his useless wand helplessly. "Hermione please, don't do this to me."

She bent down beside him and gave him a look of pity. "I know this seems drastic Harry, but it's for your own good, really."

Harry suddenly felt like crying. He had a bizarre urge to throw himself to the floor and stamp his feet. It wasn't fair_. _Why did these things always happen to him? It wasn't _fair, _it -

Harry gave his head a quick shake. What was that? After all the horrible things that he had been through, he never cried about them, and he had given up a looong time ago on demanding that life be fair.

"Harry mate, you okay?" Ron asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," Harry said shaking his head. "Sorry.

Hermione's face lit up again. She looked at him with a mixture of self-satisfied delight and academic intrigue. "Have the impulses started? What did it feel like? Do you want to play with any of your toys? I wasn't sure what you would like, so I asked the room to provide a selection. If there's something you want that's not here, I'm sure we can ask the room get it for you."

Harry gave her a look of pure disgust and glanced absentmindedly at the toys gathered on the other side of the room. No, he didn't bloody well want to play with her toys! He was FIFTEEN! He looked at the blocks, cars, and action figures that the room had organized into tidy cubbies – no doubt at the urging of the anal-retentive Hermione. There seemed to be a mixture of muggle and wizard toys, some that would not have looked out of place on Privet Dr. when Dudley was a kid, and some that Harry had never seen before. In particular, there was a light up red firetruck that seemed to give off real smoke, a toy broom that hovered just inches from the floor, and black and white teddy that Harry could have _sworn_ turned to him and winked!

"Mate?" asked Ron hesitantly.

Harry shook himself again. "No Hermione, I don't want to play with your toys." He said coldly. "I don't want anything to do with you, now or ever again. Come on, Ron."

Harry shrank his robes with a wave of his wand and stalked over to the door, a shell-shocked Ron trailing behind him.

"Harry, you can't leave the room!" said Hermione. "Where are you going? What if someone sees?"

"We're going to the library." said Harry. "We're going to figure out how to break your curse."

Hermione took a frantic step forward. "Harry you can't! Very soon you're going to actually be a five-year-old! What if you get stranded in the castle on your own?"

Harry scowled. "We're going to break it before that happens." He took out his invisibility cloak and swept it over his shoulder, disappearing from sight. "Are you coming Ron?"

Ron nodded and headed toward the door, moving silently to follow the invisible boy down the corridor.

"Ron!" yelled Hermione as she dashed forward and grabbed his sleeve. "You need to take care of him Ron, you need to keep him safe, do you hear me?!"

Ron stared at her uncomprehendingly for a moment, then nodded and followed the invisible Harry out in the hallway. _And to think _thought Ron to himself _just that morning he had been worried about getting HIS head bitten off. _He stopped for a moment, wondering bizarrely whether he would get in trouble for skiving off Transfiguration, and whether there was any hope at all of salvaging his Monday.

"Bloody Hell." Said Ron one last time, as he followed the sound of his best mate's rage to the library.


	3. The Library

**A/N: A big thank you to my wonderful beta BlessMyHart and the three people who have left reviews (I can't tell you how happy they make me)! Anyway, I hate long authors notes so I'll just say I'm not JK Rowling and get on with it. **

"THUNK!"

Ron dropped a mountainous stack of books on their table as Harry cast a notice-me-not charm around their area. They're weren't exactly sure what kind of curse Hermione had cast, so they had a lot of ground to cover. Whatever it was, they were pretty sure that they wouldn't find it in the normal section of the library, so they had used Harry's invisibility cloak to grab themselves a secluded corner of the restricted section to get to work in.

Harry sat down in his chair, then realized that the table was still a good foot above his head. Scowling, he raised his seat with a muttered "_engorgio" _and pulled the nearest book to him.

"Cosmetic charms for the Modern Matron Witch?"

Ron shrugged. "There's some mild deaging charms in there. We have no idea what Hermione did so I figured it was best to cover all the bases. Do you remember what the spell was that she cast?"

Harry nodded, "_Facti Sunt Puer._ But I think there was a potion element too, she put something in my pumpkin juice."

Ron groaned. "So we're looking for a curse, or a charm, that's a spell and a potion and needs a code-word to active. Brilliant. Shouldn't be too hard."

Harry pushed _Modern Matron_ aside. "Whatever it is, I don't think it's going to be in here." He pulled the next book out of the stack. This one was covered in an oily black substance that seemed to shrink as the light hit it. Undoubtedly this had come from the restricted section. Harry shrugged, opened it up, and began to read.

And read.

And read.

And read.

Book after book they went through, without so much of a hint of a mention of Hermione's spell. Harry's eyes were beginning to hurt. He pushed his glasses up on his face and began to rub the bridge of his nose. This was _pointless_. It was searching for a needle in a haystack. He pulled the next book forward and noticed that the cover had a drawing of a man slaying a unicorn as he sucked its blood from the back of a raging hippogriff. Charming. The drawing wasn't even that good. Harry could draw better than that. The book was all in black and white too, no color. Harry could draw a better unicorn, one with color, like the silver one that he'd seen his first year in the forest. Only, that one had been dead, and Harry's wouldn't be dead, and it would be even better than that one cause Harry's would be red and-

With a jolt Harry shoved the book away from him.

A current of fear shot through Harry. What was he _doing._ What was it Hermione had said? "Have the impulses started yet?" That's exactly what it had been like. Out of nowhere, the bizarre desire to color in the picture on the book struck him again. No, no _no_. Harry shoved the thought violently out of his head. Growing up the first time had been hard enough, no way in hell was he going to do that again. Harry frantically grabbed another book from the stack, his panic driving him to redouble his efforts. Let's see. There was a de-aging enemies spell that turned your foe back into a fetus. There was a spell that de-aged your enemy mentally but left them in their adult body. There was a spell that caused someone to de-age every full moon. That got Harry's attention for a moment, but after closer examination he decided that it couldn't be the same one. This spell was something that you cast on yourself to appear younger in the moonlight, Hermione's had been intended to be cast on someone else.

Harry's frustration and panic grew as the minutes passed by. It had to be here somewhere, where else would Hermione have gotten the information? She practically lived in this library. It had to be here somewhere, but where, where, where, where-

"Harry?" asked Ron curiously.

Harry looked up at Ron and realized he was swinging his legs wildly. He flushed and quickly brought them to an abrupt stop. "Sorry." He muttered into the book.

"It's alright mate." said Ron, his voice full of pity.

Harry cleared his throat. "Any luck?"

Ron shook his head. "Not yet. I'm might go ask Madame Pince for a record of all the books that have been checked out lately."

Harry snorted. "You'd have more luck just taking the cloak and sneaking past her."

Ron shrugged. "You're probably right, we're supposed to be in Potions anyways. Wouldn't want to get in more trouble because Pince thinks we're trying to steal any of her precious books."

Harry gave a hollow laugh and handed Ron the cloak. The second Ron was out of range, Harry squeezed his eyes shut tight. _Sit STILL!_ He snarled at himself. But it was harder said than done. Try as he might Harry couldn't seem to stop fidgeting. _I am fifteen, not five and I have control of my body!_ Harry thought desperately.

"I have good news and bad news." Said Ron's voice.

Harry opened his eyes and looked up. "What's the good news?  
"I found a list of the books that Hermione has checked out recently."

"Great," said Harry "What's the bad news?"

_THUD!  
_Ron dropped another enormous pile of books on the table. "These are all the books that Hermione has checked out recently."

Harry groaned and pulled a book out of the new pile. "This will take _ages_ to get through."

"It's not so bad, we can start with the Defense, Potions and Transfiguration books and work our way through. It's bound to be in one of them."

Harry and Ron spent another couple minutes skimming through their latest finds. Clearly, Hermione had been researching mind magic for some time before deciding on whatever spell she had used on Harry.

_"The principle of transmutation is one that dates back to the earliest days of transfiguration. The same is true of it's lesser property, the communitive aspect of Gamp's law. When dealing with mental transfiguration, it is essential to-"_

Harry squinted down at the word on the page. It wasn't unusual to come across unknown words in the Hogwarts library (especially when reading books that had been checked out by Hermione). But as Harry stared down in frustration at the offending word, he got the distinct impression that something else was going on. He couldn't help but feeling that he _should _know what this word meant. Harry re-read the sentence again, and then again, and realized that somehow it seemed to be making _less_ sense the more he read it. In fact, whereas before it was only the last word that was tripping him up, for some reason now the whole paragraph seemed incredibly confusing. Harry gritted his teeth and stared fiercely at the page. He knew what this word meant. E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L. Ess-en-ti-al. Es-sen-t-ial. ESSENTIAL!

Harry grasped wildly at the word. Essential! He had forgotten how to read the word essential! That was ridiculous! It was okay, he remembered now. He could spell essential, for Merlin's sake, he was fifteen. He was fifteen, and he knew what essential meant. Harry's brow furrowed suddenly. Wait, did he know what essential meant? He did, didn't he? It meant…well he knew what it meant. Or at least he had known what it meant. Did he still? Wait, what was that word again? E-S-S-E-N-T-

"FOUND IT!" bellowed Ron.

"Here it is!" roared Ron excitedly. "It's a charm, not a curse. _Facti Sunt Puer_. The spell. Do-Again Spell. Take a look at this!" He shoved the open book in front of Harry.

Harry looked down at the pages. He stared steadily, trying to make heads or tails of what it said. He could make out a few words here or there, but all he could really understand was the picture in the margins of a man becoming a boy, becoming a baby, then becoming a man again. Harry reached out and stroked the picture that showed the boy transforming into a baby. "Ron," he said in a high innocent voice. "will you read it to me?"

* * *

Ron blanched and stuttered "Uh, yeah, I mean, I guess I could."

Harry flushed and shook his head again, hard. "I'm sorry mate, I, I mean would you mind reading it aloud? I'm.. having some trouble reading."

"Oh, uh sure thing." Ron shrugged nonchalantly, but Harry noticed that the tips of his ears were turning an embarrassed shade of pink. Ron moved his chair closer to Harry and Harry fought the bizarre urge to climb up in Ron's lap. "So basically, it's exactly like Hermione said. _Facti Sunt Puer _was made centuries ago by aristocrats who wanted to do some behavior modification on members of their staff and family. It was especially used on disobedient wives in the 7th century by husbands who felt they weren't fulfilling their 'womanly duties,' and servants who were seen as acting above their station. The spell would be cast and allow for them to be re-raised with a different mindset, so that when they would return to their proper age they would be more in their master's liking."

Harry frowned. "So what does that have to do with me?"

"Hermione's hoping that as a kid you'll have lower defenses and she can teach you to work through some of your emotions."

"That's insane."

"Yeah, and it's also dangerous."

"Dangerous?" asked Harry "How?"

Ron rubbed his head in thought. "So, Hermione's hoping that when you're five, you'll be basically the same but with more of a touchy-feely side. The spell's not meant to change a person's complete personality, but it to change you in subtle ways. Aside from the danger of being younger and less able to protect yourself – I mean, what if You-Know-Who gets ahold of you- Hermione's resting a lot on making sure that the only people who influence you are Order members. What if someone like Malfoy gets ahold of you and starts teaching you about blood purity?"

"He could turn me into a Death Eater!" Harry yelled.

"Probably not, not unless he has you for a long period of time. The book says it takes a lot of de-aging for there to start to be noticeable changes in personality. But you _still _wouldn't want him messing around with your subconscious."

"I don't want _anyone_ messing around in my subconscious."

"Don't worry," Ron said patting Harry reassuringly. "Like I said, it's only for small changes. You'll still be you when the spell is over."

Harry squinted at the page. "And when is that?"

Ron scanned the book again. "Well, like Hermione said, each round is activated by a code-word or phrase and lasts twenty-four hours. The physical changes happen immediately, and the mental and emotional changes happen later. Oh, there's a chart, hang on."

Ron turned the page and pointed out a timetable spanning across twenty-four hours. "Most of the changes happen in the first couple hours. According to this, the impulse to act younger starts to occur about a half hour after the spell is activated."

Harry grimaced, remembering his almost temper-tantrum. "Right as we were leaving for the library."

Ron nodded. "An hour in the desire to act childlike starts to get more noticeable. Two hours in the impulses begin to get harder to fight, and then by hour three…"

Harry finished for him. "By hour three I'll actually be five."

"The de-aging is complete, yeah."

Harry pointed at the chart. "Is there more on there?"

Ron looked at it again. "Yeah, but it calms down a bit. No noticeable changes for the next couple hours. Eight hours in your memories of the spell being cast and of your adult-life will start to get kind of hazy. You'll still remember, but you won't think about it unless someone reminds you or something significant triggers your memory. Twelve hours in.." Ron stopped and looked at Harry worriedly.

"What?" Harry demanded.

"Twelve hours in," Ron proceeded hesitantly "The subject develops an attachment to the person who activates the spell. Which in your case would be.. Hermione."

"No!" Harry said desperately. "NO! I won't"

"Harry, you're not going to have a choice." Said Ron in a strained voice.

"NO! I won't do it! You don't let me Ron!" Harry pointed one angry little finger in Ron's face. "You don't let me play with her, or talk to her, or, or like her Ron! It's not fair! She did this to me! I won't like her Ron! You can't let me!" Harry felt his eyes filling with tears again and hurriedly wiped his face with his robe. He let out a pitiful sniffle. "R-Ron, what time is it?"

Ron looked at his watch " Just about 11."

_Stop crying!_ Harry willed himself to stop crying but even with his best efforts a steady flow of silent tears continued to flow down his face. "R-Ron, it's getting harder."

Ron gave him an awkward sympathetic pat on the back. "Don't worry Harry, we're going to find a way to break the spell."

Harry hiccupped and wiped his face with his robe again. "Her-Hermione cast the spell at breakfast time, so it was probably around 9?"

Ron nodded and started to rub Harry's back rhythmically. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"So I've got about an hour until I'm fully de-aged. And I'm going to start getting a lot worse soon. Really acting like a baby."

"Like I said, we're going to stop it mate, don't worry." Ron said soothingly.

Ron patting his back felt soooo good. Harry couldn't remember the last time someone had really comforted him. But Harry recognized that this was probably coming from the part of him that was five, not fifteen. Reluctantly he moved away from Ron and took a deep stabilizing breath. "You're good with kids." Harry said dryly.

Ron snorted. "You don't grow up a Weasley and not know how to deal with kids. Not when you've got as many cousins and siblings as I have."

Harry sighed again. "Well let's hope you don't have to put your skills to the test. What does the book say about breaking the spell?"

Ron looked at the book and frowned. "It says the spell can be lifted by the person who cast it at any point. That'd be Hermione."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't think she's gonna do that."

"No," Ron agreed. "Probably not. The other way is to brew the original potion and cast the spell on yourself, and making sure to set it to your original age."

"We can do that!" Harry said excitedly. He stood up on his chair and grabbed the book eagerly, forgetting for a second that he could no longer read. "What do we need?"

"Eh, that's the bad news." Ron said scratching his neck. "It doesn't actually say. Hermione must have found the recipe in another book. This one is all theory."

Harry looked up at him with wide eyes. "But we're going to find it, right?"

"Harry," Ron said bluntly. "I'm going to be straight with you. Even if we find the recipe in one of these books, it's not likely we'll be able to brew it before noon."

Harry scrunched up his face. "So, what does that mean? I'm gonna have 'ta be five?"

"Probably, at least for a little while." Ron broke gently.

"But I don't _want _to." whined Harry.

Ron raised his eyebrows at him.

"Sorry!" Harry said quickly. "Like I said, it's getting harder."

"We're going to keep looking Harry," said Ron. "Hermione had to have found the recipe for the potion in one of these books. Or if she still has it with her we can ask Ginny to search her room or something."

Harry at Ron imploringly. "We keep looking?"

Ron nodded firmly. "We keep looking."

Harry realized he had nestled himself into Ron's side sometime during their conversation. Reluctantly he moved away and pulled another book towards him – NO! Not reluctantly! He did NOT want to sit on Ron's lap – what was the matter with him! Blokes don't do that! Ugh! He needed to break this spell, _now_.

Harry started flipping through the book, pausing every few minutes if something looked like it might be interesting. Ron was a good friend. Ron was his best mate. So much better than stupid Hermione. Harry stopped to look at a drawing of a chicken turning into a roaster. This looked cool, but it probably wasn't gonna help him. Harry flipped to the next page. This one had a picture of a fox turning into a monkey. He already knew how to do that, they learned about it in transfiguration. Harry flipped that page again and stopped suddenly. He wasn't looking for the potion recipe.

He was looking at the pictures.

Harry moaned in frustration and looked at his watch. It was 11:20. He was slipping more and more into the five-year-old mindset without even realizing. But how was he supposed to research the potion if he couldn't _read_? Harry swung his legs wildly and looked around the library. Maybe he could help Ron find the books, and then Ron could read them?

Harry scooted out of his seat and went to the nearest shelf. He wasn't sure which books Hermione would have checked out. She was really smart, so maybe she took the really big ones? Harry walked over the biggest book on the bottom shelf and tried to slide if off. It was _heavy_. He grabbed it around the middle and lifted with all his might. He fell backwards with a an _oof_, and tried to stagger to his feet.

"Harry?" said Ron's worried voice "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you find the books." Said Harry like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh okay," said Ron "Thank you for helping me Harry. That one's about Near-Eastern plants though. I don't think the potion is going to be in there."

"Oh." Harry looked down at the giant book. "I was just helping."

"I know," reassured Ron. "Do you think you can come over to the table and keep me company?"

Harry shrugged and marched back over to the table. A small voice at the back of his head was saying that something wasn't quite right, but that voice was getting quieter. Harry climbed back up in his chair and looked around the library again. His stomach growled. They hadn't really had breakfast, cause of stupid 'Mione. Was it almost lunchtime? Harry frowned. Lunch time started at twelve, which meant that he would be five for lunch. He didn't want Seamus (stupid Seamus thought he was crazy!) and Malfoy and Snape to see him eat lunch as a five-year-old. That would be embarrassing! Harry looked down at his watch and frowned.

"Ron?"

"Yeah Harry?"

"What does it say?"

Ron looked up from the musty catalog he was reading. "What does what say?"

"This." said Harry, pointing to the watch on his arm.

Ron frowned. "Can't you read it?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

Ron slowly shut his book and slide it away from himself, never breaking eye contact. "It says 11:45 Harry."

Harry nodded as though that made perfect sense. "Hey Harry?" asked Ron hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe you'd better give me your wand."

Harry frowned immediately and Ron hurried to cut him off before he could refuse. "Only because Hermione is probably going to try to take it away, and if you give it to me she can't have it."

Harry thought hard for a moment.

"Unless you want her to have it?"

"NO!" said Harry fiercely, shoving his wand into Ron's hands. In his anger Harry missed the flash of relief that shot across Ron's face.

"Ron, I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I bet you are buddy. It's getting to be lunch time."

"Can we go get something to eat?"

"Er-" Ron looked around the library for a moment. "Sure mate, just give me a sec to think about.. how we're going to do that."

Harry nodded and swung his feet happily. He probably wouldn't have to go see Umbridge today, at least that made him feel good. And he had missed Snape too! He found himself thinking about that toy broomstick back in the room with Hermione. He didn't want to go there if she was there. But maybe she was gone? Maybe Ron would let him have a turn, and see if that red truck was really giving off real smoke? Or maybe if they couldn't go back to the room he and Ron could get his firebolt and they could go flying!

"Okay Harry, I've got an idea. Let's do something special today. How about, instead of going to the Great Hall to eat, we just go straight to the kitchen and pick something out for ourselves?"

"Yeah!" said Harry excitedly. "Do you think they'll have treacle tart?"

Ron smiled. "I think they'll make you pretty much anything you want to eat. How about we make it a game? We can put on the invisibility cloak and see if we can sneak down there without bumping into anyone. If we make it without making any noise, I'll make sure the elves get you _two_ treacle tarts to eat."

"Let's do it!" Harry grabbed the invisibility cloak and slid it over him. It was much too big now, even when Ron slid under after him. Ron looked down at him as though trying to figure something out. "Harry mate, it might be a little hard for the two of us to walk together like this. Do you think… do you think maybe you'd like to ride on my back?"

The little voice in the back of Harry's head was protesting, but it had grown so quiet Harry couldn't bring himself to care. Harry shrugged and climbed up onto Ron's back, giggling at Ron's exaggerated protestations about how big he was and whether he'd be able to carry all that weight. The two of them set walked out of the library and down the stairway toward the kitchen. Harry kept giggling as Ron had to dodge and weave around students on their way to the Great Hall after class. Onward through the halls the two friends went, and as they walked the nagging sensation at the back of Harry's head began to grow silent. The protesting voice grew fainter, and fainter, and fainter, until finally-

it disappeared altogether.


	4. Lunchtime

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm still not J.K. Rowling. Shout out to Bgrangerweasley and AzureAlquimista - your reviews keep me writing! As always thanks to BlessMyHart, the best Beta in the world and the real MVP. Shorter chapter this week cause work was crazy, but I promise to make it up next week cause I'll be writing over Labor Day. Ta-Tah for now, enjoy! **

"Dobby!" Harry yelled as the doorway to the kitchen swung open. "I'm mad at you!"

Dozens of elves darted around frantically preparing food while a few key elves ran behind them, sending the cooked dishes up to the Great Hall with a loud _SNAP _of their fingers.

One of the elves broke away from that pack and ran up to give them a low, swooping bow. "Dobby is not being here little sir. Can Tubby be helping you?"

Harry pouted. "Where's Dobby?"

Tubby sniffed indignantly. "Dobby is taking one of his-" the elf paused and looked around the kitchen in a wary way – "Days off." She whispered. "He is off doing other things instead of helping with lunch like a good elf. But Tubby is here to help young sirs with what they are needing?"

"Tubby," Ron said gravely. "We have a very serious situation we were hoping you could help us with."

Tubby nodded madly. "Tubby is at sirs service! What is it you's is needing?"

"Tubby," Ron began. "This young man right here is in great need of some treacle tart."

"TWO treacle tarts!" corrected Harry. "You promised!"

"Hmmm," said Ron, stroking his chin. "I do seem to remember hearing a lot of giggling on the ride over."

"I did not!" protested Harry, who had absolutely been giggling. "That was someone else!"

Ron nodded as though deep in thought. "Alright then Tubby, I think we're going to be needing three."

"Yes sirs!" Tubby smiled brightly and ran away, bat-like ears bouncing as she went. Harry soon amused himself by swiping sweets from the indulgent elves that were more than pleased to let him get in their way. Ron wasn't sure if he should be letting him have that much sugar, but hell, the kid had had a hard day.

_That kid is Harry Potter_ Ron thought to himself surreally. Ron stared at the little boy, trying to see his best mate in the kid who was now successfully trying to talk an elf into giving him a fourth tart. Ron grabbed an apple off a cart nearby and munched into it thoughtfully. It was hard to comprehend that the cheerful kid in front of him was the same moody, broody Harry who Ron had lived with for the last five years – and Ron had actually seen the transformation happen. It had been weird, watching Harry slowly devolve over the course of a morning. Ron wondered how much of the fifteen-year-old Harry was still left in there. On the one hand, it was easier to think of the two Harrys as separate people. Ron would give a piggy-back ride to a little kid, but thinking about doing that with his best mate made him really uncomfortable. On the other hand, this was _Harry,_ and there were things that Ron was willing to do for him that he wouldn't do for just anybody. He wasn't sure he would have stuck around to take care of just anyone had they been de-aged. Ron was good with kids, but that didn't mean he sought them out, and the whole de-aging thing was just plain weird when you thought about it. But he'd always stood beside Harry through all the crazy stuff, and Ron figured now would been no different. He still was his friend, in a way. Clearly, he still had the same likes and dislikes as evidenced by the treacle tart and the way that Harry had attached himself to Ron.

Yeah, Ron was going to do his best to help his friend out, even though this may be one of their strangest days yet – and that was saying something. One thing they were both in agreement on, they needed to figure out how to break this spell, ASAP. Hermione was really off her rocker with this one. Where the hell did she get off, messing with people's heads. Yeah five-year-old Harry was a lot more pleasant to be around, but _bloody hell_ you don't just de-age your friends.

Ron snapped himself out of his musings and walked over to sit with Harry. "Mate, maybe we should take some of this back to the room?"

Harry looked up at him and Ron noticed with amusement that he had chocolate all over his face. He needed to get some pictures of this stuff before Harry was back to his proper age. Where was Colin Creevey when you needed him? "Tubby says that Dobby's not here 'cause he was getting our room ready! He's the one that put all the toys and stuff there!"

Ron grabbed a chicken leg off a nearby platter and bit into it greedily. "Do you want to go see him?"

"No!" said Harry resolutely. "Dobby helped Hermione."

Ron shrugged and polished off the rest of his chicken. "You about finished mate?"

Harry looked down at the pile of food around him sadly but gave Ron a small nod. "Great," Ron continued, "wait here with the elves for a second, I'm going to go out and check to see if the coast is clear. We don't want to bump into anyone on the way up to the room."

Ron flung the invisibility cloak over himself and stuck his head out of the doorway, only to have to jerk it back in to avoid being run over by a pair of Hufflepuff third years. Ron stuck his head out again and this time the corridor was clear except for the Fat Friar who was lounging lazily next to an oil painting of some over-ripe fruit. "Alright then Harry?" Ron called back over his shoulder. "Want to climb up on my back again?"

Harry followed the sound of Ron voice and scampered up his back like a monkey. "It's weird how good you are at that." Ron muttered under his breath. "Walk Ron!" Harry intoned pompously, and although Ron couldn't see him, he had couldn't help but role his eyes when he felt Harry's little hand point forward as if to say "onward, trusty steed!"

"I am so taking the mickey out of you when this is over." Ron said.

"Shhhhhh!" Harry said in a loud stage whisper. "We're invisible!"

Ron rolled his eyes again and started forward.

Harry chattered happily about the friends he had made in the kitchen and how Tubby had said he could come back any time he wanted, and she would make him treacle tart _and_ ice cream! Ron was pretty sure they could have come whenever they wanted anyways (Merlin knew Fred and George treated the kitchen like a revolving door) but he appreciated the sentiment. There was something fun about eating in the kitchen surrounded by all those hurried elves as the bobbled to and fro trying to get everything together. The smell of the food permeated the very walls, soaking into everything and leaving behind a _delicious_ odor that Ron couldn't seem to get out of his head. He could practically still _taste_ that chicken leg, it was like the scent of it was chasing them down the corridors and playing with Ron's imagination. Not just the chicken, but the treacle tart too. It was like he could still smell it-

Hold on.

Ron stopped abruptly and sniffed hard. He _could _still smell it. Where was that coming from?

Ron spun in a circle and the pocket of Harry's robe smacked heavily against Ron's face. Ron felt grease smear his cheek through the heavy-laden fabric. "Harry, do you have food in your pocket?" Ron asked in surprise.

Immediately, a marked change came over the small boy. Harry's body stiffened and his posture became rigid. "You.. You never said I couldn't."

"What did you put in there?" Ron asked in bewilderment.

Harry fidgeted uncomfortably. "Just.. some of the tarts. And some chicken. And those pears that the elves gave me."

"Harry," Ron said with a roll of his eyes. "I promise there will be treacle tart again tomorrow. You don't need to hide it away."

"You never said I couldn't." Harry muttered sullenly.

"Now look, you're ruined your robe. It's soaked through with grease." _Bloody Hell, I sound like my mother!_ "Not that I care." Ron added hurriedly. "But we've only got the one shrunken one. We'll have to go back to Gryffindor tower to get more clothes."

Harry shrugged but unconsciously pulled the folds of his robes around him tighter. _What is going on with him _Ron wondered confusedly. They walked the rest of the way to the 7th floor corridor in silence, Harry's carefree chatter a thing of the past. Maybe he had been wrong in thinking that the five-year-old and fifteen-year-old Harry's were so different, Ron thought to himself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_. Of course Ron knew that the Dursely's had starved Harry in the past. But Harry had never really talked about it – well, that wasn't saying much. Harry never really talked about anything, that's what had gotten them into this mess, wasn't it?

Maybe what Ron had interpreted as childish innocence had really just been the reality of being in a safe place surrounded by friends. Harry's entire existence as a de-aged kid so far had been in his favorite place in the world accompanied by his best mate. Of _course_ he had seemed to be having a good time. But it would appear that as Hermione had said, five-year-old Harry was not as good at hiding and deflecting as his teenage counterpart. Maybe Ron was wrong in thinking of the two as separate people. Just how much of the real Harry was hiding underneath that pint-sized face? Did he remember everything the adult Harry had been through? Was it fair to make a little kid process through the death and destruction that teenage Harry had been struggling with? What would happen if (or when) that trauma began to break through? Would the impact of that dam breaking scar little Harry forever, and would Ron even begin to know how to help him if it did?


	5. The Bargain

**A/N: IIIIIII'm still not J.K. Rowling. A big thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed - honestly you are the best. BlessMyHart, my beautiful beta is back at it again kicking butt and taking names and helping me get this to you. Just a note on some of Harry's behavior - you might not like everything he does in this chapter. I'm trying to make it realistic and sometimes kids say bad things. I'm basing most of his behavior off of that of my niece who is about the same age, and also I studied some child psychology in college. A pet peeve of mine is when I read fics where people don't act their age, esp. when people make children act like babies or vice-versa. ANYWAYS, I hope you all enjoy and please keep the reviews coming! GAH - this is my longest A/N yet! What have I become! **

Ron stopped in front of the empty wall where the door to the Room of Requirement had been and scratched his head confusedly. "Well Harry, I could have sworn it was right here."

"It was!" said Harry emphatically. "By the funny troll painting! I 'member from this morning!"

"What else do you remember from this morning?" asked Ron curiously.

Harry wiggled down off of Ron's shoulders and turned to face him with a scowl. "I was fifteen, just like you! And Hermione cast her stupid spell and now I'm little again. And then we went to the library and I helped you look at the books."

Stupid Hermione. Harry thought to himself. She turned him into a kid, and she was supposed to be his best mate. Well not anymore. He used to have two best friends but now he only had one, because Ron was helping him get back to normal. Harry stared up at Ron in amazement. Did he really used to be so big? Ron seemed more like a grown up to him, even though Harry knew he was only a teenager.

Ron looked around nervously and then slid the invisibility cloak off himself and put it around Harry's shoulders. Harry looked down at his missing body and giggled. "Ron, I'm a floating head!"

"Yes you are Harry, that's wild." Said Ron absentmindedly as he glanced around the empty corridor. "And if you hear footsteps, you're going to pull the rest of the cloak up over your head, okay?"

Harry nodded and laughed again. Suddenly, a door appeared out of nowhere on the blank wall across from them. The door swung open and a pair of hands reached out, grabbed Ron and Harry by their collars, and yanked them both inside.

"Hey!" shouted Harry indignantly. The invisibility cloak slipped off of him and onto the floor, and Harry suddenly found himself engulfed in a giant bear-hug.

"Oh Harry, I was so worried!" sobbed Hermione.

"Get off of me!" Harry wiggled ineffectively. "You're not my friend anymore!"

Hermione pulled back and looked him up and down appraisingly. "What was that Harry?"

Harry scowled and tried to shrug her hands off his shoulders. "I said, you're not my friend anymore. Only Ron is my best friend. And Neville and Ginny and the twins are also my friends, and Hagrid and Sirius and Tonks. But not you!"

Hermione stared at him in shock for a moment, then let out a hysterical laugh and pulled him close to her again. "It worked, it actually worked!" She said excitedly. "Ron, has he said anything else? Oh Harry, you're a mess, you've got chocolate all over your face. Ron, what have you been feeding him? Honestly, you can't just load kids up with sugar like that!"

She pulled out a handkerchief and began to go to work on Harry's face. Harry squirmed in indignation and looked at Ron pleadingly.

"Oi, ease up Hermione, you're going to take off a layer of skin."

Hermione glared at him. "I left him alone with you for a couple hours Ron and this is how you bring him back! Harry, come over to the loo with me and we'll wash your face."

Harry scowled up at her fiercely. "I don't have to listen to you! You're not my aunt!"

"Harry," Hermione began coaxingly. "Why don't you come with me to the loo, and then afterward we can take a look at those nice presents that Dobby got you?"

Harry's jaw tightened. "No! Ron and I are going to play and you're going to go away and leave us alone!"

Hermione looked genuinely surprised. "Harry, you can't talk to adults like that. If you continue, you're going to have to get a timeout."

"You're not a grown up." Harry said smugly.

"We are to you." Hermione said firmly. "And we're also your friends, and friends don't talk to each other like that. Right Ron?"

"Blimey don't drag me into this." Ron groaned.

"You leave Ron alone!" Shouted Harry. "You're not the boss of us and we don't have to listen to you! Come on Ron!"

"Harry…" Hermione said warningly.

"NO!" The furniture wobbled slightly as Harry let off a small burst of accidental magic. He didn't have to listen to her, she wasn't his aunt, or Sirius, or Dumbledore! Harry stomped his foot and pointed one little angry finger in her face. "You get out of here you- you…" Harry racked his brains for the worst thing he could call her. From the deep recesses of his memory Harry remembered a bad word, the worst word he could think of. He was so angry his little body was shaking, he couldn't quite remember what this word meant but he knew it had made her cry before. "You bloody Mudblood!"

"Harry!" Hermione gasped.

"WHAT THE BLOODY F-" roared Ron. He stopped abruptly and picked Harry up by the scruff of his collar and dangled him in the air.

Immediately Harry realized he had gone too far. His face turned stark white as he kicked wildly. "WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU!" bellowed Ron as he gave Harry a fierce shake. Harry gave a little whimper and stopped struggling. "DON'T YOU EVER CALL HER THAT AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR ME POTTER? I OUGHT TO CURSE YOU INTO NEXT WEEK!"

"Ron!" said Hermione with tears in her eyes. "Put him down! He doesn't understand, he's just trying to hurt me."

"LIKE HELL HE DOESN'T!" Harry hung limply and gazed at Ron with terror. Was Ron going to hurt him like Uncle Vernon? Harry didn't know what that word had meant but it must've been bad. He didn't mean to be that bad, he just wanted Hermione to leave, and now Ron was mad at him and Ron was so big now, and Harry just wanted to go home to Gryffindor Tower.

"Ron," said Hermione sniffling. "Please, look at him. Please."

Ron scowled and tightened his grip on Harry. Harry whimpered again and Ron froze. Two little green eyes were looking up at him accusingly. There was a terror in those eyes that cut Ron to the heart, but what really threw him off was their… blankness? There was fear there, but behind the fear was a resignation that shocked and scared Ron just as much as he had scared Harry. Blimey, what was he doing? This wasn't really Harry, Harry would never have used that word. He was scaring the pants off a little kid, a little kid that was going to turn back into his best mate.

Hermione reached up and snatched Harry out of Ron's grasp. "Harry I'm sorry." Ron whispered. Hermione shot him a nasty look and wrapped her arms around Harry. "Harry, are you okay? Harry say something to me, you're all right no one's going to hurt you. Harry?"

Hermione sat them both down on the floor and Harry slowly turned and looked up at her. He nodded and allowed himself to be settled into her lap. "I'm sorry Hermione." Harry said robotically.

"Oh Harry, it's alright. Well it's not alright, you should not have called me that but… Ron wasn't thinking. He forgot you're five for a second. It's just.. that's not a word we use. It's a very, very bad word Harry."

Harry nodded obediently again and continued to stare straight ahead. "Harry," said Hermione "I promise, no one here is going to hurt you. Ron just lost his temper because there are people who use that word who like to hurt other people. Do you remember what they're called?"

Harry thought hard for a second. He remembered dark robes and skulls tattoos, a flash of green light, and a high clear laugh. "Death Eaters." Said Harry with a shudder. He pulled himself closer to Hermione and she wrapped her arms around him again.

"Yes Harry, Death Eaters. I know you were just trying to hurt my feelings, but that's how You-know-who and his followers talk. That's why Ron got so mad, because those are the people who've tried to hurt us – especially you- before and it surprised him to hear you talk like that. Does that make sense?"

Harry looked up at her and swallowed slowly. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't Harry," said Hermione graciously. "And Ron knows you didn't too, right Ron?" she finished, leveling him with a piercing glare.

"Harry I'm so sorry." Said Ron agonizingly. "I just- that's not a word we use. It threw me off. That's not an excuse though, I promise I'll never do anything like that again. Do you forgive me?"

Harry smiled up at him warily. "S'okay."

Ron smiled hesitantly back. "Are we still mates then?"

Some of the color returned to Harry's face. "Best mates." He said solemnly.

"Good." said Hermione with a sigh of relief. "Now then, onto the matter of your punishment."

"What?!" said Harry. "But I didn't know! You said it was okay!"

"I know you didn't mean to call me that bad of a word Harry, but you did say a bad word on purpose. Two actually. You said the word 'bloody,' remember?"

"That's not fair!" Harry whined. He seemed to have forgotten that he had just been denying Hermione's authority in the aftermath of their quarrel. "Ron says bloody all the time!"

"Ron shouldn't use it either. In fact," said Hermione slyly "I think Ron's in need of a timeout too. For saying a bad word and for grabbing you. What do you think?"

Harry thought hard for a second. "That's fair." He finally decided. "Can you think of a fair punishment?" asked Hermione.

Harry thought for a second and then sighed. "No meals?" he asked in resignation.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a shocked look over Harry's head. "No! No Harry, nothing like that. I was thinking more along the lines of a time out."

Harry perked up immediately. "And Ron has to do one too?"

"I don't think that-"

"Yes." Said Hermione, cutting Ron off. "Ron has to do one too. Tell you what Harry, there are six letters in the word bloody. So how about you and Ron have to stand in the corner for six minutes?"

"Alright," said Harry morosely. He got up and walked to the corner of the room. "You too Ron." Said Hermione.

"Seriously?" Ron scowled.

"Yes seriously." Hissed Hermione. She grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him over to the opposite corner, muttering under her breath. "You almost just destroyed everything we are working to fix in Harry. I ought to curse you into next week. You are going to stand here and show him that there are consequences to bad actions and you are damn well not going to move until I say you can come out. Is that clear?"

"Careful Hermione." Said Ron, positioning himself in the corner with a roll of his eyes. "You said a bad word. That's a timeout."

"Shut it Ron." Snapped Hermione. "I think I handled that rather well, all things considered."

"Yeah, I guess." Said Ron with a sigh. "It could have been worse."

"I agree." Said Hermione.

"So do I." added Professor Dumbledore.

* * *

"Dumbledore!" said Harry wildly, turning out of the corner to gape at the elderly Headmaster.

"Now Harry, I believe you are only two minutes into your time out. I must ask that you turn around again." Said Dumbledore politely.

Harry sighed and once again faced the corner. The moment he did Dumbledore's face sharpened considerably. "Now, Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley. I was hoping you would follow me to my office? I caught the tail end of your conversation, but I must confess I have a few questions about how this came to be."

"Ron's in timeout too!" called Harry over his shoulder.

"That he is." Said Dumbledore with a nod. "Perhaps then, Ms. Granger you would follow me? From what I overheard you seemed to be the… instigator of this situation. Mr. Weasley, perhaps you and Harry could follow in a moment once we've had the chance to talk privately?"

"Yes sir." Said Ron with a gulp. Hermione's face had grown very white, but she followed Dumbledore to the fire with a determined calm. She took a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"Headmaster's office!" she yelled, then with a swirl of heat and green flame she plummeted through space and onto the floor in front of Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore followed much more gracefully, carefully shaking the soot from his robes and going to sit down in his chair. He gestured to the opposite chair on the other side of the desk and Hermione sat down determinedly.

"Ms. Granger, I would like you to explain to me what exactly happened this morning. It would appear to me that Mr. Potter has been de-aged, and that this de-aging was not an accident?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Yes sir. If I might ask, how- how did you find out?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at her. "Did you really thing that such a thing happening in Hogwarts would escape my notice?"

Hermione shook her head. "No sir, I was going to tell you eventually. I just wanted Harry to get comfortable first."

"Get comfortable." repeated Dumbledore, his voice tensing slightly. "Is that what you call what happened back there?"

"No sir!" said Hermione hurriedly. "That was an accident, Ron just lost his temper for a moment. Harry's not hurt, I promise. It's just that Harry called me a-"

"I heard what word he used Ms. Granger." Said Dumbledore gravely. "Children, though they often have the best intentions, can sometimes not understand the weight that a well-placed word can carry. Nonetheless, I can't help that but think this would not have been an issue had Harry remained at his proper age. I'm afraid I must ask you again, what exactly did you do to your friend?"

Hermione bowed her head. "_Facti Sunt Puer_ sir."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair and put his fingertips together. "And what, may I ask, is your justification for casting such a dark spell on your friend? A friend who I must add, is already under a considerable amount of stress this semester."

"No thanks to you!" Snapped Hermione.

Dumbledore's eyes darkened and Hermione hurried to clarify. "I'm sorry sir, but to say that Harry's been under a lot of stress is to put it lightly. He's been acting out in class, most of the school thinks he's gone mad, and I'm afraid he might be suffering from some form of PTSD. Not to mention he's still dealing with the rubbish put on him but the Dursleys."

"So instead of coming to a professor with you concerns, you decided to cast a dangerous spell that will repeatedly leave him more vulnerable than he is already was in the precarious state he was in before."

"I did go to a professor!" Hermione spat. "I went to many professors, and Order members too! Do know what they said to me? They said 'Dumbledore knows what he's doing.' Molly worried but did nothing, Sirius talked to Harry and nothing happened, and McGonagall just told me to keep my mind on my studies. Do you know what Madame Pomfrey said when I tried to suggest that Harry go see a mind healer? Do you sir?"

Dumbledore sighed and had the grace to look ashamed. "She told you that she had been instructed by me to make sure that all of Harry's medical care is taken care of inside of Hogwarts, and that she is not a licensed mind healer."

"Yes." Said Hermione darkly. "And of course, as you've been ignoring Harry all term that means you've been ignoring Ron and I as well. So I haven't exactly had the opportunity to come to you with all of this, have I sir?"

"Ms. Granger, I know how things must appear but I must ask that you believe the best in me. Should Harry have been admitted to St. Mungo's for any reason at all, but especially if he were to be admitted into the care of a mind healer, it would have poured fuel on the fire of the Daily Prophet's rhetoric in a way that we cannot discount. To do so would give credit to the Ministry and their slanderous lies and allow Voldemort the opportunity to continue to move in the shadows, secure in the knowledge that the one witness to his resurrection has been thoroughly discredited. As for my distancing myself from Harry, that I am afraid I cannot share at this time. I can only ask as I said before, that you believe the best in me when I say that my actions are not done out of malice."

"Then I ask that you believe the same of me." Said Hermione firmly. "We all care about Harry, that was never in question. But as far as I can see, I'm the only one doing anything about it. And forgive me for saying this sir, but you owe Harry."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows again. "I'm certain you are correct, but in what way are you speaking?"

"The Dursleys are the real root of all of this. If Harry had had a real home to grow up in, instead of one where he was neglected and starved, there's a good chance he'd be reacting – well not well certainly, but better to this whole mess."

"There's also a good chance he'd be dead." Said Dumbledore gravely. "Lily Potter's sacrifice is what kept him safe for ten long years and it is active only as long as Harry remains within his aunt and uncle's care."

"Alright, yes." Conceded Hermione. "Harry had to live with his aunt and uncle to keep from getting murdered in a Death Eater attack or something of that nature during his childhood. But you didn't exactly check in to make sure everything was okay, did you? You let him suffer when you had the power to at least make his life somewhat better. So you do owe him sir, you owe him this second chance because you never gave him a real first one."

Dumbledore was silent for a long moment. Then he turned and looked pensively up at the magnificent phoenix perched idly in the corner of the room. "You feel that this spell gives him that second chance?"

"I do." Said Hermione firmly.

Dumbledore sighed. "And I assume judging by that scene in the Room of Requirement that Harry himself is not on board with this plan?"

Hermione blushed slightly. "No sir, but you know how Harry is. Taking care of himself has never been his priority. And you've withheld things from Harry in the past despite his objections, like this summer with the Order."

"Yes." Said Dumbledore absentmindedly. Dumbledore turned and looked into Hermione's eyes intensely. "Alright. You may continue with this plan for a trial period. Should Harry's well-being ever be called into question, or should there be any harmful changes to his psyche you are to lift the spell immediately. The same goes for if either his or your studies begin to suffer. You have until the end of the month to show some marked difference in Harry. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." Said Hermione excitedly. "We have until Halloween."

"You may continue to use the Room of Requirement. We shall have to tell the rest of the staff so that they know why you may not be present in classes. Is it your intent for Mr. Weasley to be a part of this too?"

"Yes sir." Said Hermione again.

"Very well. We will inform him and the Order of what has occurred and the deal we have agreed upon. However I must stress that this secret must not be shared with anyone else, for Harry's safety. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Replied Hermione.

"It's settled then. And now we must go and get the boys and tell them what has transpired. If you would Ms. Granger, follow me to the fire?"

"Of course," said Hermione rising. "But sir, if you don't mind me asking…. How did you find out about all of this?"

Dumbledore took a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the fire with a twinkle in his eye. "Ms. Granger, really. When it comes to keeping secrets, never trust an elf."


	6. Interlude

**A/N: Hey guys! So I promise I'm going to continue to the pattern of updating every Friday, but as my friend got married this weekend and I was in the wedding, and I've been participating in the Houses Competition I haven't had a lot of time to write this week. So, I've decided that every 5 weeks I'm going to give myself a week off. I promise next week will be a chapter like usual AND THIS WORK IS NOT ABANNDONED – I AM GOING TO DO RIGHT BY YOU GUYS. Sorry Sorry Sorry to anyone that was looking forward to a new chapter, but I promise I'll be writing over the weekend and I'll have something ready for you Friday the 20th. Here's a little drabble to keep you satisfied until then. **

"I think that's six minutes Harry, we can come out of time out." Said Ron with a roll of his eyes.

Harry let out a sigh of relief and turned to face his friend. "Now what?" he asked Ron expectantly.

"Errrr." Said Ron with a nervous glance toward the fire that Dumbledore and Hermione had just disappeared into. "I think we'll just wait for them to get done talking. Do you want to… play with some toys or something?"

Harry's face lit up. He ran to the giant pile of toys that Dobby and Hermione had brought for him and immediately picked up the teddy bear that had been eyeing him earlier. "Hullo Teddy." Harry whispered gently, wrapping his tiny arms around bear. To his surprise and delight, the bear wrapped his arms around Harry too! Harry giggled and squeezed the teddy bear closer happily.

"Teddy huh?" chuckled Ron. "Don't you think Teddy deserves a proper name?"

Harry looked startled at the idea but then began to nod vigorously. "What should we name him Ron?"

"I don't know, this is an important decision." Said Ron pompously. "I think the naming of this bear should be up to you."

Ron had expected Harry to be flattered but instead he looked down at his new toy with a look of pure anxiety. "What's the matter Harry?" asked Ron in surprise.

"I don't wanna to get it wrong." Harry's little forehead creased with effort as he thought hard about what to name his new friend. "I've never had one before."

"What, a magic teddy bear?"

Harry shook his head. "No. A toy."

"You've never had a toy before?!"

"No. Well, I had some broken ones of Duddy's. But never one just for me."

Ron shock turned to pity, and then to sadness as he looked down at the little boy who was the shadow of his best friend. What kind of childhood had Harry lived? Ron had certainly had his fair share of hand-me-downs, but his parents had always done their best to make sure that all of their kids had been taken care of. They might not have had everything they wanted, but he had definitely at least had a teddy – Fred had gotten mad one time and turned it into a spider, spawning a decade's worth of nightmares in the process.

"Well Harry," began Ron "I think that that means this teddy must have an especially special name. What do you think?"

Harry stared down at the bear for a moment, and then looked up at Ron with a smile. "Chudley."

"Like the Canons?"

Harry smiled shyly and nodded his head yes.

"Harry," said Ron, wiping a pretend tear from his eye. "I cannot tell you how proud I am of you I am for saying that."


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione and Dumbledore stepped back through the fireplace into the room of requirement. Harry and Ron were lounging in the corner playing gobstones, both of their faces heavily covered in ink and Harry giggling wildly as Ron kept accidentally-on-purpose swallowing some. Dumbledore smiled and beckoned to Hermione to follow him over to the duo, and then sat down in a nearby armchair to watch the game.

"Hello again Harry." said Dumbledore conversationally. "May I ask who is winning?"

"I am!" Harry announced proudly. "I'm beating Ron fair and square." Ron studied the board game as though deep in thought, rubbing his forehead and smearing the ink across his face even more broadly. Harry giggled again and Ron looked up and gave him a wink. "Hello Professor. Did you and Hermione have a nice talk?" said Ron, not breaking eye contact with Harry.

"We did." Dumbledore began graciously. "And we have decided Harry, that we think it would be best to share with the rest of the staff and the Order what has transpired – (Harry looked up at him in confusion) – what happened today."

"The rest of the staff!" Ron sat up in alarm. "You don't mean-"

"I think we can safely say there is no need to inform Professor Umbridge of this. However, as Professors McGonagall and Snape are no doubt wondering why Mr. Potter was not in class today, it seems like a fine idea to let them know about his current situation."

"Snape!" scowled Harry, forgetting about his gobstones game entirely. "I don't want to tell him!"

Dumbledore sighed. "I'm sad to see that your prejudice toward him goes so deep into your psyche. But I can assure you Harry, Professor Snape has only your best interests at heart."

"Harry, Professor Snape is a part of the Order." Said Hermione firmly. "He has a right to know what's going on. You don't have to spend time with him, but he should be keep aware of what's happening."

"Why….?" Whined Harry.

"Because I said so." Hermione retorted.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Because you said so? Honestly Hermione." Said Ron rolling his eyes.

"Yeah." Said Harry, crossing his arms in his best Ron imitation.

"If I may," Professor Dumbledore interrupted lightly. "I've taken the liberty to ask the relevant staff to meet us here. Just the ones who double as members of the Order and Madame Pomfrey – I think she would skin me alive if she found out that I didn't let her take a look at you. They should be arriving any moment."

"What did you tell them?" asked Ron.

"That Mr. Potter had been de-aged and that it was likely to continue. I left the details out of the letter, though I do believe that will make them-"

THUD THUD THUD came a frantic pounding on the door.

"- All the more eager to arrive." Finished Dumbledore smugly.

Hermione crossed the room to the large wooden door, took a deep breath, and opened it to let the wild knockers inside. In rushed Professor McGonagall, her lips thin and her glasses slightly askew. She was followed closely by an irate looking Madame Pomfrey, and a scowling Professor Snape, his black robes flapping behind him and his face expressionless as he took in the scene. His black eyes settled on Harry, who shrunk into himself and move closer to Ron. Snape sneered and turned to face the Headmaster.

"So, it would appear that it's true. Potter has managed to get himself de-aged."

"Albus, how did this happen?" asked Professor McGonagall, her voice quivering. "Was this an accident? Or perhaps some plot of You-Know-Who?"

"Mr. Potter, come here." Snapped Madame Pomfrey. Harry looked from Ron to Hermione helplessly and didn't move. "I should have been told immediately. Oh for goodness sakes Mr. Potter, no one here is going to hurt you. Come here."

Harry rose slowly and walked over to Madame Pomfrey, his eyes never leaving the ground. She huffed, took out her wand and began casting all manner of diagnostic charms over him. "How did this happen Albus?" Demanded Professor McGonagall again, much more strongly.

"Miss Granger has taken it up herself to cast Facti Sunt Puer on Mr. Potter, and I have decided to let it stand." Dumbledore stated firmly.

"Facti Sunt Puer?! Are you mad?" McGonagall shoved Madame Pomfrey out of the way and began to look Harry over intensely. Harry wilted under the fierceness of her gaze and McGonagall softened immediately. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter. Do you remember who I am?"

Harry nodded uncertainly and scuffed his shoes on the floor. "'fessor M'onagall."

"Harry, how old are you?" McGonagall asked gently. Harry peaked up at her uncertainty and held up five fingers. "Five." Said McGonagall dumbfounded. Then her fury returned with a vengeance and she rounded suddenly on Hermione. "Ms. Granger! How could you be so irresponsible – five hundred points from Gryffindor! And detention each evening!"

"Ms. Granger will not be losing any house points today." Interrupted Dumbledore calmly. "She and I spoke at length, and decided to let her plan to de-age Harry Potter stand for the time being. She will serve detention in the form of taking care of Harry whenever he is in this state. Mr. Weasley will assist her as needed and of course, as much as he desires and has time for. In fact, twenty-points to Gryffindor Mr. Weasley for keeping such a cool head under pressure."

"You must be joking." Deadpanned Snape. "You're awarding house points for this fiasco?"

"It was quite a well executed spell. And a well done potion too, Severus. You might consider awarding Miss Granger some house points yourself."

Snape's face went from annoyed to murderous. He turned his eyes on little Harry with a malicious smile.

"Well, we certainly can't leave the well being of the once-again-a-boy-who-lived in the hands of two teenagers. What are we going to do with you Potter? I think perhaps we should contact his Aunt and Uncle. They have a right to know about their nephew's well-being of course."

"No." whispered Harry. His little face turned stark white and he looked up at Dumbledore imploringly. "You said.. you said I could stay with Ron. You promised."

"I did say so Severus." Said Dumbledore. "And since Harry will be back to his normal self by tomorrow morning I don't think that alerting his aunt and uncle will be necessary. I think for now, alerting the rest of the staff that Harry has come down with an illness that might require some absences from class and telling the rest of the Order what has occurred will suffice. I will be writing a letter to the Burrow and Number 12, Grimmauld Place."

"What, you're going to allow this to continue?" McGonagall looked at Dumbledore as though he had grown a second head. "This is Potter's life you're playing with, not to mention his mind!"

Harry tugged on her robe urgently and McGonagall bent down and allowed him to whisper in her ear. "I don't want to do this again." He muttered worriedly. "Mione's going to make me."

McGonagall stood stock still for a moment, then rose stiffly, her lips pursed paper-thin. "Albus, this is wrong. This is entirely against Potter's own wishes. This is dangerous and irresponsible."

"It is all of those things." Dumbledore agreed. "And it is also, a second chance."

Snape snorted. "So, Potter is just going to spontaneously change into a child whenever things get difficult. Shouldn't be too different from how things are now. What is the code phrase to activate him?"

Dumbledore did not look surprised that Snape knew how Facti Sunt Puer worked. "Thestral. An apt word, I think."

"I'll have full rights to look him over whenever something goes wrong." Warned Madame Pomfrey.

"He can't go to the hospital wing!" said Ron anxiously. "What if someone sees him?"

"Mr. Weasley, you have ink on your face." McGonagall snapped. "Be quiet while the adults are talking. Oh, you do too Harry. And chocolate. Come here dear. Scourgify." Professor McGongall tenderly waved her wand across Harry's hair and face, leaving them sparkling clean. "Albus, you can't really leave him in the care of two teenagers."

"Miss Granger has one month to prove this plan to me and to all of us. If things go terribly awry, we will lift the spell and Mr. Potter will be none the worse for wear."

"Unless of course, his brain and memories and negatively influenced permanently." Added Snape with another malicious smile.

"I have faith in Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley that that will not happen. Now, if you'll excuse us. I think we had better let the three of them got on with their evening. Miss Granger, I will send dinner up for you shortly." Said Dumbledore, inclining his hat.

"Albus." Said McGonagall helplessly.

"Minvera, if you will not trust them, trust me." Dumbledore began to walk toward the door, and gestured for the rest of his staff to follow. Snape got in one last sneer and then flounced out, Madame Pomfrey trailing in his wake. Professor McGonagall bent down and hesitantly gave Harry a hug. "Harry, should anything go wrong in the next couple hours – you come find me in the morning. Promise me."

"Promise." Said Harry, looking up at her frightened eyes.

"Minvera, you're startling him. It is time for us to take our leave." Reluctantly McGonagall stood, gave Harry one last desperate look then followed her colleagues out the door. "One month Miss Granger. Starting now." Said Dumbledore. Then he nodded to Harry and Ron respectively, and headed out into the corridor.


	8. The Burning Man

**A/N: Hi guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I got into car accident a week and a half ago and I've been recovering. It shook me a bit and mentally and physically I haven't been in a writing mood. It's NOT abandoned, I promise, but while I'm getting better I might not be as frequent with my updates (and for that I sincerely apologize). But I'm thinking about it daily and slowly working on it, I promise, and once again I apologize for not updating. Oh, and I'm still not JKR. **

"Harry, we need to talk about the Dursleys." Said Hermione triumphantly.

Little Harry looked up from his toy truck warily and scowled. "Don't wanna."

"I know you don't Harry." Hermione began soothingly. "But think about how much better you'll feel once you get it all out there. It'll be fun! We can make a game out of it. How about, every time you tell me about the Dursleys, we…" Hermione trailed off uncertainly. "We sing a song?"

Harry went back to his firetruck, disinterested. "Nah." He said flippantly.

"Okay, not sing a song." Hermione pushed on. "We can… get you another toy?"

" 'Like this one." Said Harry, pushing the toy around on the floor as it let off a puff of real smoke.

"Okay, we can… we can eat a sweet? Ron will get you more sweets, won't you Ron?"

"Hey!" Ron protested. "You were just on my case about feeding him chocolate, but now you want to use it to bribe him?"  
"Its not a _bribe_, Ronald." Snapped Hermione. "It's an incentive. Very different."

"Yeah okay, sure. "said Ron sarcastically. "Hey Harry, you want to play some wizards chess?"

Harry looked up at Ron curiously. "Don't know how."

"Yeah you do!" said Ron encouragingly. "We play all the time, remember?"

Harry scrunched up his face and shook his head.

"Yeah we do, remember Harry?" Ron said again uncertainly. "In the common room? And at the Burrow?"

Harry tilted his head and thought hard. "And the place with the burning man?"

"What?" asked Ron horrified. "NO, we never played with anybody on fire."  
Harry gazed at him with an unfocused look in his eye. "The man who touch'ed me and got hurt. After you and 'Mione got hurt. We played chess then."

Ron stared at him, confused. "Harry mate, I don't know what you're talking about."

"The burning man!" Harry said in an agitated voice. "We played chess then! You, me, and 'Mione!"

"Harry," said Hermione hesitantly. "Did the man have two faces?"

Harry thought hard for a moment, then shuddered. "Yeah," he said in a small voice. "He had two. They were both bad."

Hermione hesitated again. "And was there a mirror? And the room with all of the potions bottles?"

"Yeah!" said Harry, his face growing more troubled. "He made me look in the mirror with him!"

"Ron!" Hermione whispered frantically. "I think he's remembering first year! With the philosophers stone!"

"We played chess." Harry said again anxiously.

"Oh, bloody hell!" exclaimed Ron, raking his fingers through his hair. "Yeah Harry, I guess we did."

"And you got hurt." Harry's eyes filled with tears. "You got hurt 'cause I told you to."

"NO!" Ron said adamantly. "No! Harry, that wasn't your fault. We chose to go down there with you. That's not on you. That's on You-Know-Who. You stopped him, he would have hurt us all."

"He burned." Harry said again, clutching his toy truck close to him. "I hurt-ed him."

"No you didn't Harry." said Hermione compassionately. "Harry, Voldemort hurt Professor Quirrell. He was trying to hurt you when you touched him. That doesn't count."

Harry looked like he wanted to believe her, but didn't quite buy it. "He said he could get my Mum and Dad back. But he didn't. He hurt-ed me."

"I know Harry." Hermione sat down and tried to stroke his hair, but Harry stiffened under her touch and flinched away reflexively. Hermione swallowed and continued on. "But Harry, you helped a lot of people. There were a lot of people who didn't get hurt because you went down after Voldemort. And that's why Ron and I went with you."

"'Sorry." Harry whispered.

"Don't be sorry Harry." added Ron, who also sat down next to Harry. Harry moved over towards him and Ron helped Harry into his lap, ignoring Hermione's scowl. "Hermione's right. It was worth it then, just like it was worth it all the other times."  
"The other times?" Harry asked, looking up at him curiously.

"Don't worry about that right now Harry." said Hermione sharply, shooting Ron a murderous look. "The only thing that matters is that you don't have to feel bad about going after Quirrell. If anything, we should thank you Harry. Our lives would have looked really different if Voldemort had returned during our first year."

"Really?" said Harry skeptically.  
"Oh yeah," Ron chimed in. "You did us a solid. Not just us, the whole school really. We'd a really been in trouble if You-Know-Who had gotten the stone. No telling what would have happened. If it took getting knocked down in a game of chess – I'd choose the chessboard every time. No question."

"I didn't do bad?" Harry asked pitifully.

"Oh Harry, no! Never." Hermione reached over and engulfed both boys in a hug which they reluctantly returned. "Have you really been carrying this around with you? Harry, Ron and I make our own choices. It's not up to you whether or not we decide to put our lives in danger. We're all in this together."

"The burning man died." Came a muffled voice from in between the two teenagers.

"No Harry, he- well, don't think about that right now, its not-"

"Yeah, he did Harry." said Ron, cutting across Hermione. Ron broke Hermione's hug and turned Harry to face him. Harry's brow was puckered in distress as he stared up at Ron worshipfully. "And I bet it was really scary."

"It was!" said Harry emphatically. "It was really, really scary!"

Ron nodded and pulled Harry close to him again. "And you're okay now. You got through it. And now you're safe at Hogwarts."  
"Yeah." Said Harry, his shoulders sagging in relief. "Yeah, at Hogwarts."

Ron reached over and wiped a single tear off of Harry's cheek with his thumb. "So, we don't have to be scared of him anymore. Because he can't get in here."

"He can't get in here." Harry repeated, he voice slowly gaining confidence. "He can't hurt me."

"Not at Hogwarts." Said Ron with a grin. "Why do you think we keep Dumbledore around? For his wacky sense of fashion?"

"Ron!" barked Hermione furiously as Harry burst into a round of giggles. "Don't fill his head with that!"

"I'm safe at Hogwarts." Harry announced suddenly. "The burning man can't get me."

"Yes sir." Said Ron again, reaching out to grab Harry's firetruck. "Now, do you want to play some chess, or would you rather keep playing with this thing?"

"Gobstones again!" Harry shouted excited.

Ron groaned good naturedly. "You really want to watch me eat more ink?"

"Yes!" said Harry gleefully. "Red this time!"

"All right." Said Ron with a theatrical sigh. "But you're not going to win."

"I am!" said Harry stoutly. "I am, and – and you're going to lose!"

"But wait, don't you want to talk some more?" coaxed Hermione, but the conviction had left her voice.

"No." said Harry simply, and he followed Ron back toward the gobstones.

Hermione sighed and looked up at the ceiling, then put her head in her hands for a moment. She looked up and smiled tiredly. "Well, that went well." She mused to herself. "Now I only have to do that over and over again for the next month."


	9. Bedtime

Harry Potter was confused.

Happy, but confused.

Harry was just finishing up dinner with his best mate, surrounded by lots and lots of toys. He hadn't got to eat more treacle tart (Hermione had said no), but he _had_ had a really good shepherds pie and Ron had snuck him a chocolate frog afterward. That had been nice. But Harry couldn't stop feeling like something wasn't right. He didn't know what. But his head felt kind of fuzzy. Dumbledore had come by earlier and said a lot of things and he hadn't understood all of it. It had made him mad though, and then later he had been scared. He was forgetting something, but he couldn't 'member what. He sighed as 'Mione made the rest of their dinner disappear with a wave of her wand. He wished he was old enough to have one.

"Alright Harry," said Hermione primly. "You can play for another hour, but then it's time to start getting ready for bed."

"M'not tired." Harry moaned.

"I don't buy that, you've had a very long day. I want you in bed by seven, is that clear?"

Harry stared at her.

"Hermione, he can't tell time." Ron reminded her, looking very much like he wanted to put his head in his hands.

"Oh, yes." Hermione said flustered. "Well, um. Here." She waved her wand again an hourglass appeared on the table. "When all the sand is at the bottom of the hourglass, it's time for bed. No discussion."

Harry sighed deeply and went over to play with his new teddy again. Chudley was the best mate he'd ever had, except for Ron. Harry had a dim feeling that he had had other mates, but when he tried to 'member their names it was like they disappeared. He could imagine their faces though, a squeaky boy with a round face, a pretty red-haired girl, and a big black dog. That was silly though, people and dogs being friends. He didn't know if that friend was real or made up, like his magic teddy.

Harry let out a big yawn and Chudley mimicked him, his tiny paw covering his mouth politely. Harry giggled and shook the stuffed animal's hand. Behind him, he could hear Ron and Hermione arguing again. Harry didn't like it when they argued, it made his stomach feel yucky. Harry yawned once more and this time covered his mouth just like Chudley had. Chudley winked at him, then stood up on his own and did a funny dance that left Harry in stitches. He ended with an exaggerated bow and Harry began to applaud happily. The teddy winked again and then gestured at the hourglass. Harry noticed in dismay that it was half-empty, his play time was almost over.

Ron was full-out yelling now, and Harry's stomach was starting to really hurt. He wanted someplace he could play away from the noise. Just then, he noticed a small door on the opposite side of the wall that hadn't been there before. The door looked really familiar to him, but he couldn't exactly tell why. He scurried over to the door and opened it up to find a little room, with one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and a small, nondescript bed. Harry still didn't know why, but the sight of this little room with the broken toys and dusty shelf made him feel both better and really sad. He picked up Chudley and climbed into the room, carefully shutting the door behind him.

The sound of their fighting was less loud in here, Harry realized with relief. He and Chudley continued playing for awhile until all of a sudden Harry heard the noise outside go completely quiet.

"Ron, where's Harry?" drifted Hermione's voice through the little vent on the door.

"He's playing right over there- oh." There was a sound of moving feet and then Ron's voice again, this time significantly higher. "Okay, don't panic. He can't have gone far."

"We don't know that!" Shouted Hermione. Harry winced and backed further against the wall of the little room. "This is all your fault Ronald!"

"MY fault?!" demanded Ron. "Uh, excuse me? Harry wouldn't be lost right now _if you hadn't completely lost your mind and de-aged him."_

Harry placed his hands over his ears and Chudley did the same. He let out a little whimper. Was he going to be in trouble again? He hadn't meant to do anything bad, he'd only wanted someplace to get away.

"I didn't see him go past the us, he couldn't have gotten ahold of his invisibility cloak could he?"

"No," said Ron. "I have it right here, with his wand."

"I placed a locking spell on the door earlier." Hermione let out a huff of frustration. "If you still have his wand, that means there's no way he could have opened it. Although, he is a child now, do you think it could have been accidental magic?"  
"Where did that door come from?" Ron cut across her suddenly.

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of shuffling feet moving closer to his hiding place. There was a soft knock at the door and Hermione's voice came floating in through the vent gently.

"Harry? Harry, would you open the door please?"

Harry crawled across the bed and opened the door a crack. Ron and Hermione's worried faces were peering back at him. Neither of them looked especially angry, so Harry opened the door a little more.

"Harry, what are you doing in here?" asked Hermione as she kneeled down to get a better look into his little room.

"Nuthin'." said Harry, picking at the thin blanket on the bed.

"Hermione that's - this is broom cupboard." Ron's face was pale as he knelt down next to Harry. "Harry mate, did you ask the Room to make this for you?"

"Not on purpose." Harry snuck a quick look at Ron's face, then looked down at the blanket again. "It just showed up."

"Blimey Harry." Ron stood up and puffed out a long, deep breath. "Harry, is this your old bedroom?"

Harry shrugged and held Chudley closer. He didn't know why, but he knew he didn't like it in here. But somehow it still felt like home. Like a bad home, good and scary at the same time.

Hermione's brow knitted together in worry and confusion. "Ron, why would Harry go back to his old cupboard? He barely ever talks about it, but when he does… it's not a happy memory."

"But it is a familiar one." said Ron tensely. "And I'm guessing as much as five-year-old Harry hated this place, it was also where he was mostly left alone."

"M'sorry, really. I won't go in here anymore if it makes you mad. Promise." Harry's little face shone with anxiety. "M'sorry Ron."

"Oh Harry, we're not mad!" Hermione cried, trying to pull him into another hug. Harry flinched away and looked at Ron pleadingly.

"Oh look, the hourglass is empty. That means it bedtime!" Ron quickly moved in and scooped Harry up and away from Hermione's outstretched hands. Harry clung to him gratefully as they headed toward the small bathroom the Room had provided. "Harry, do you need help brushing your teeth?"

This question seemed to snap Harry out of whatever state he had fallen into. He scrambled down out of Ron's arms and let out and exasperated _huff_. "No, I'm _five_. I"m not a baby, I can do it." And with that Harry rolled his eyes dramatically and shut the door in Ron's face.

Ron chuckled somewhat hysterically and turned to face Hermione. "This has been, the maddest day of all the mad days I have ever lived. I want you to think about that statement. Out of all of them, this… this might be the one that finally breaks me. Bloody hell, Hermione. Bloody hell."  
"There's only one adult bed." Hermione replied stiffly, gesturing with her wand to a bookcase which tipped over to reveal a hidden mattress. "Do you want to take tonight, or spend the night next time?"

"Next time?" Ron stared at her, dumbfounded. "Next time. You really are unbelievable, you know that? Get out of here. I'm not letting you anywhere near Harry while he's asleep."

Hermione pursed her lips and gathered her things to go. "I'll just wait for him to get out of the bathroom to say goodnight then."

"Harry doesn't want to see you." Ron said coldly. "He might not remember that right now, but he's not in his right mind. Whatever happens Hermione, remember that. That's not really Harry. You destroyed any friendship you ever had with Harry, including whatever twisted one you're trying to forge while he's vulnerable to this spell. I think you should leave now. We'll send you an owl if something goes wrong during the night."

Hermione glared back at him and headed for the door. "Goodnight." She said curtly.

"Goodnight." Ron replied, setting his jaw and straightening his spine.

And then without another word, Hermione turned and walked out of the room.

Harry poked his head back into the main room and Ron forced a smile. "Come on Harry, let's get you all tucked in. Got Chudley? Good. Let me know if you need anything, alright?"

Harry snuggled beneath the covers of his new bed and smiled back sleepily. "'Night Ron." He murmured, hugging his teddy closer.

""Night Harry. Sweet dreams."

* * *

A blood curdling scream woke Ron from a dead sleep. He shot out of bed, confused and alarmed, and hurtled over to Harry's bedside. Harry was shrieking and clutching at his scar, drenched in sweat and thrashing wildly. Ron shook him awake and the small boy screamed again and clutched Ron's arms in fear.

"Harry! Harry what's wrong! Harry please, tell me, what's going on? Harry!"

Harry sobbed and sobbed into Ron's shoulder incoherently. Ron rubbed his back in alarm and tried to murmur soothing noises into his ear. "Harry please, tell me, what's the matter?"

"I want- I want-" The little boy tried to say before collapsing into a fresh round of sobs.

"Shhhhh, it's okay Harry, it's okay. What do you want?"

"I want-" He took a deep shuddering breath and let out another wail. "M-'Mione!"


	10. Attachment

**A/N: Hello everybody, thank you so much for your reviews. It's truly a delight for me to know that there are people out there actually reading and enjoying this! Special shout out to DarkPhoenix31 - I'm flattered that you put so much detail into your posts! So, here we go, chapter ten - breaking 20,000 words (!), and I'm still not JK Rowling. **

"Harry!" cried Hermione, tossing off her cloak and wrapping her arms around the shaking boy. "Oh Harry, you poor thing. Did you have a nightmare?"

Harry was sobbing inconsolably into Hermione's chest, snot and tears dripping all over her nightgown. In the corner Ron sat with his arms crossed scowling furiously, deep circles evident under his eyes. Hermione ignored him and focused her attention on the shaking child. "Harry, what happened?" She crooned, stroking his hair. "Won't you please tell me?"

Harry looked up at her desperately and clutched her tighter to him. "I- I had a bad dream. But it was _real_. Voldemort was there - and he - he-"

"You-Know-Who was there?" blurted Ron nervously. "In your dream?

Harry burst into tears again and Hermione shot Ron a nasty glare, which he returned in kind. She huffed and turned her attention back to the little boy in her arms. "Harry, what happened? What did You-Know-Who say?" She asked tenderly.

Harry sniffed and looked up again. "He said that he wasn't gettin' any closer to it, and that the Order'd been in the way. There was a man there, and Voldemort hurt him for a long time. It made him _happy._" Harry's little lip quivered. "It made me happy that he was hurt, 'Mione."

Hermione smoothed Harry's sweaty brow and planted a small kiss there. "Harry, it was just a dream. There's nothing to worry about. It's not real, and it can't hurt you."

"Hold up!" barked Ron, jumping to his feet. "These are Harry's dreams we're talking about, there's every chance it could be real."

"Don't listen to him Harry. It's nothing you need to worry about. You just go back to sleep, alright?"

Harry smiled bashfully and nodded his head. "Voldemort can't get me?"

"You-Know-Who is never going to touch a hair on your head." Hermione said firmly. "Now it is way past your bedtime, so why don't you crawl back into bed and try to get some sleep?"

"Stay with me?" Harry's little green eyes sought her own desperately. "You won't leave me?"

"Never."

Harry smiled peacefully and obediently pulled the covers back over himself. "I love you 'Mione." he murmured sleepily.

"I love you too Harry. Don't ever doubt that. No matter what happens, I love you."

Harry smiled again and began to snore softly. Hermione reached out to kiss him again, only to jump back in pain.

She scrambled back with a confused yelp and turned to find Ron glowering at her, wand still smoking from the stinging hex he had just sent her way. "Ron! What are you doing?" she hissed, clutching her swollen hand tenderly.

"You've just told Harry that his dreams don't matter. That Voldemort will never hurt him. And to never doubt you, no matter what. Tell me, how exactly is all of that going to impact him when he's grown again?"

"For the better." Hermione spat, grinding her teeth and taking out her own wand. Ron gave a disgusted snort and smiled nastily. "I'm not going to _fight_ you Hermione. Not when you've got Dumbledore and the Order on your side, and definitely not in front of Harry."

"I know you think you're the one on Harry's side," Hermione began. "But Ron, in the long run you'll see that I'm the one who's actually helping him."

"You're insane. The lot of you." Ron marched over to the adult bed again and sat down heavily. Grim and exhausted determination showed on his face. "I'm going to sit right here and watch you until Harry's his proper self again. And then we are getting him far, far away from you. Away from all of Hogwarts if we have to."

Now it was Hermione's turn to smile venomously. "Oh I don't think so Ron. I think you're forgetting one crucial fact about Harry, no matter what age he is."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Ron asked, his blue eyes glinting in the firelight.

Hermione returned to Harry's bedside and gazed down at the sleeping child once more. Then she looked up and met Ron's stare dead on.

"Hogwarts is his home."

* * *

"Read it again Hermione!" Harry begged adoringly. "Please Hermione, read it again."  
"Now, now, how about we try another book Harry? We've read this one three times already!"

Harry scrambled off Hermione's lap and launched himself into his pile of toys, searching eagerly for another picture book for them to read. He found a large one with a moving picture of a dinosaur on the front and shoved it into her hands excitedly. "Ron! Are you gonna come read with 'Mione and me?"

"Not now Harry." Ron still sat on the bed, his fingers loosely gripping his wand. He stared steadily at Hermione like a soldier on guard, never wavering in his duty. He gave Harry a small smile. "I'm just going to sit and watch for another couple minutes."

"But you haven't played with us at _all_." Harry whined pitifully, giving Ron his best puppy dog eyes.

"You two go ahead, I'm fine over here."

"You're my best _friends_." Harry said exasperatedly, as if that held some extreme significance. When neither Ron nor Hermione moved, Harry followed it up with an irritated little _huff_. "Best friends _play _together." He explained, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Not for much longer they don't." Ron muttered.

"Huh?" Harry blinked up at him in confusion, his little brow furrowing. "You don't - you don't want to play with me anymore?"

"No!" said Ron hurriedly. "No, Harry, that's not what I meant. I only meant that - well it's almost - in just a few minutes-"

"Don't worry about him Harry." Hermione cut in, smiling sweetly while her eyes glared daggers at Ron. "Come over here and sit with me, we can read your book again."

Instantly Harry relaxed completely and smiled adoringly as he climbed back up in her lap. He rested his head against the crook of her neck and Hermione opened up the children's book and began to read.

"Migglty Moor and his pet dinosaur, were having the most strangest day…"

Harry snuggled further into Hermione's bushy hair and giggled at the silly way the pictures in the book were running back and forth. He had wanted to play with his fire engine at first, but Hermione had told him that reading a book together would be more fun - and she was _right_! Harry had made her read Babbity Rabbity to him five times before he finally asked her to do a different book. Hermione made her voice all squeaky or deep when she did the different characters. It was so much fun, Harry hadn't even noticed that Ron wasn't playing at first. He felt kind of bad about that, because Ron was his best mate - but Hermione was _Hermione. _She was the coolest person that Harry had ever met, and she always wanted to play with him. She was pretty and nice and she even smelled really good - kinda like treacle tart and ice cream. Harry loved her more than anyone else in the whole wide world.

"Said Migglty Moor to the old dinosaur, 'what brings you old highness this way?'"

Harry let the rhythm of Hermione's voice wash over him and let lose a contented sigh. He glanced to the corner again and noticed that Ron was staring at him really hard - really, _really _hard. Why was Ron being so weird today? Did he want a turn playing too? Were he and Hermione going to fight again? Did Harry do something wro-

Harry's chest hurt.

Harry rubbed his chest absentmindedly and tried to focus on the story. His stomach gave a hard twinge and Harry shifted uncomfortably on Hermione's lap.

"Harry?" asked Hermione at once. "Are you alright?"

Harry's tummy was now flip flopping like crazy, and Harry felt his head growing fuzzy. He let out a cry of pain as his chest got tighter and tighter and he heard his heart thumping loudly in his ears. Something was very wrong, but he couldn't remember exactly what it was. Except, yes he did. No, he didn't. Yes, he did, it was the spell. What spell? The curse that Hermione had cast on him. Except Hermione was wonderful, she would never do anything like that. But she had...

Harry felt hands grip him under the arms and haul him bodily onto the bed. He gasped for breath like a fish out of water as his vision clouded over and the pain in his body rose to a crescendo. There was a ringing in his ears that was growing louder, louder, LOUDER, until suddenly -

Everything stopped.

Harry lay there panting on the bed as his vision slowly cleared to reveal a terrified looking Ron Weasley standing over him. Ron stared down at him incredulously for a moment, before whispering a tentative: "Mate?"

Harry staggered to his feet and swayed dangerously as he stared around the room, the previous day's activities coming back to him like a strange fever dream. He looked down at his teenage body and then back up at Ron in confusion, then glanced around the room dazedly.

"Ron?" Harry croaked painfully.

"Harry!" Hermione flew across the room and launched herself at his center, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Harry stared down at her dumbly as she squeezed him, then pulled back to beam at him from head to toe.

"Oh Harry! How do you feel? Tell me, how much do you remember? Do you feel any different? Oh, it's so good to have you back Harry!"

Harry's brows knitted together in a strange imitation of the way his five-year-old self's had just moments earlier. He cleared his throat again and looked confusedly at Hermione.  
"Don't-" His voice failed and he had to clear it again.

"Don't what Harry?" asked Hermione eagerly.

"Don't-" Harry started again, his green eyes suddenly growing hard. "Don't touch me."


	11. Back to Class

**A/N: I'm sorry. Where have I been? I don't have a good answer. What have I been doing? My best. Here's a new chapter, hope you like it. **

Harry mind felt like it was on fire. The last twenty-four hours were like some sort of strange fever dream. Images and memories flitted through his head and bounced around his skull like lightning as he stumbled backward away from Hermione.

_Read it again Hermione!_

_His name is Chudley!_

_Like the Cannons?_

_It is all those things, And it is also, a second chance. _

He shook his head as though trying to clear it and fumbled uselessly in his robes. Ron moved silently to his side and put a steadying hand on his shoulders.

"Here, mate."

Harry turned clumsily and looked down for a moment at the wand in Ron's outstretched hand. He took it slowly, then gave Ron a nervous smile. "Thanks."

Hermione huffed impatiently. "So?! How do you feel? Honestly Harry! You could at least say something!"

Harry scowled, his emerald eyes narrowing dangerously. He gripped his wand tighter, the whites of his knuckles standing out sharply against his pale skin. Sparks flew dangerously from the end of his wand as he set his shoulders and faced Hermione dead on. He squared his jaw, gritted his teeth, opened his mouth -

And bolted for the door, removing the locking spell with a wave of his wand and letting the door slam with a resounding _thud _behind him.

No way in _hell _was he spending another moment in a room with Hermione. Harry was sweating profusely as he sprinted down the crowded corridors. As he went barreling through the halls, knocking into people at random, memories continued to bounce around in his head like a wrecking ball.

"_Dobby! I'm mad at you!"_

"_You bloody Mudblood!"_

"_Harry, should anything go wrong in the next couple hours - you come and find me in the morning. Promise me."_

Harry wheeled around a corner into a deserted hallway and fell back against the wall, panting heavily. McGonagall, he needed to find McGonagall. He was breathing even heavier now, and it felt like the walls were closing in on him. He needed to find McGonagall - but where was he? He'd been running through the castle at random. Where was he? He needed to find her - but he was hyperventilating now, his vision tunneling. He needed to find her, to get away from Hermione, he had to find her, he had to, he had to-

"Harry?"

Harry looked up wildly, sweat streaming down his flushed face. At some point he had sunk down to the ground without noticing, and now he found himself gripping the cobblestones hard. He tried to take a deep breath but it felt like an anvil was sitting on his chest. He focused on the blurry figure in front of him, and slowly the concerned face of Ginny Weasley came into shape.

"Harry, are you all right? What's happened? Are you sick?"

"Ginny." Harry stumbled to his feet and almost fell flat on his face. Ginny caught him and steadied him against her shoulder. "Ginny, I need to- I have to find-"

"The hospital wing?"  
The memory of a scowling Madame Pomfrey and a smirking Professor Snape came on Harry violently and he winced. "NO! I need McGonagall. I have to find McGonagall, Ginny!"

"Are you sure? You don't look so good…"

"McGonagall, please!" Harry gasped, gripping her shoulders desperately.

"Alright! Alright! Can you walk?"

"I think so." Harry let go of Ginny's shoulder and took a tentative step-

Directly into the castle wall.

"Bloody Hell." said Ginny exasperatedly, helping Harry to his feet again. "Put your arm around my shoulder Harry."

Harry took a deep breath again and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Slowly they made their way back down the corridor, Ginny directing the way until they came to the large wooden door that Harry recognized as the door to McGonagall's office. She knocked rapidly until she heard a slightly annoyed voice from within call out "Enter."

Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk enjoying what appeared to be a private breakfast before her first class of the day. She took one look at Harry and jumped up to help Ginny get him into a nearby chair. Harry stared up at her wildly as McGonagall began to check his pulse with her wand.

"Potter, can you hear me? Focus on my voice."

"Pro'fes." Harry slurred, his head nodding. "Hermione-"

"Cannot enter this office without my permission." Professor McGonagall pursed her lips together furiously and glanced sidelong at Ginny. "Ms. Weasley, how did you come by Mr. Potter?"

"I found him in the corridor, he looked like he was having a fit or something." Ginny squeezed Harry's hand worriedly and Harry latched onto her. "Professor, what's wrong with him? Shouldn't we take him to the hospital wing?"

"Not in this case," said McGonagall gravely. "Ms. Weasley, would you be so kind as to grab the calming draught from the cabinet behind my desk? It's in the bottom left drawer."

Ginny frowned down at Harry's hand in concern, but gently disentangled herself from him and walked across the room to the cabinet. McGonagall waited until she was far enough away before leaning down and hissing quietly into Harry's ear. "Does she know about the spell?"

Harry shook his head unsteadily and McGonagall straightened up just in time to turn gracefully and take the potion from Ginny's outstretched hand. "Thank you, Ms. Weasley. You may go. I shall inform Professor Binns as to the reason for your tardiness."

Ginny looked as though she was about to protest, but McGonagall gave her one last stern glance and she reluctantly turned and slunk back out into the hallway - but not before giving Harry a look that clearly said she would come seeking answers later. McGonagall let out a sigh of relief as the door shut behind her.

"Here Potter, make sure to get all of it down."

Harry took the calming draught from her with shaking hands and swallowed it in one gulp. Slowly, the tremors in his body stopped and he felt his mind clear of the fog. He blinked and shook his head. "What was that?"

"I believe," said Professor McGonagall wryly. "You were having a panic attack."

"What?"

"A panic attack, Potter. Your mind couldn't handle processing jumping from the mind of a child to that of an adult - or an almost adult in this case. While it was still trying to process that shift I'm guessing your notorious survival instincts kicked in, which resulted in you charging through the corridors like a bat out of hell."

Harry sighed and rubbed his temples tiredly. "Yeah, well. I couldn't very well stay there with _her_."

"No," McGonagall agreed, her nostrils flaring. "No you very well could not."

Harry stood up and began to pace the length of her office. "Professor, what am I going to do? I can't leave Hogwarts, Voldemort will be on me in about a second. And I can't go back to Private Drive either, my aunt and uncle would be more than happy to turn me over to the Death Eaters in about a heart beat."

"I'm sure that's not the case."

Harry snorted. "You don't know them like I do." He stopped and looked over at McGonagall hopefully. "You don't think- maybe Sirius?"

"Potter," Professor McGonagall's face softened slightly. "I'm afraid there's no question of you dropping out of Hogwarts."

"But Dumbledore-!"  
"Can most certainly find you at Grimmauld Place and any other place that you try to hide. And, as you so astutely pointed out, there are only a few places that are equipped to hide you from You-Know-Who at this time."

Harry's face paled and he slumped back into his chair. "So, there's no hope then?"

"I didn't say that." Professor McGonagall went to her desk and began to shuffle her papers brusquely. "My first owl last night as to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. My second was to the Burrow. I'm sure the combined fury of Sirius Black and Molly Weasley is not to be trifled with. In the meantime, I shall try to talk some sense into my colleagues and attempt to maintain a _firm_ grasp on Ms. Granger."

The tightness in Harry's chest began to loosen slightly. Of course - Sirius and Mrs. Weasley weren't going to let them do this to him! Harry smiled for the first time all morning - well, the first time since he'd become himself again. "Brilliant. What should I do?"

"In the meantime," said Professor McGonagall, glancing at her clock. "I suggest that you get to class."

"_Class?_"

"Yes, Potter. Class. _Think_." Professor McGonagall gripped her papers tightly and bit back a sigh of exasperation. "If one thing is certain, it's that the Ministry must not get wind of any of this. You have already missed one day of class, do you want to give Umbridge any more reason to become suspicious?"

"Well, no, but-"  
"And when exactly do you think Ms. Granger is more likely to de-age you? When you're skulking around the Gryffindor Common room, or in the middle of Herbology?"

"I-guess the Common Room. But Professor-"  
"No buts Potter," McGonagall said firmly. "I will alert you as soon as there is any change. In the meantime - get to class."

"I haven't got my books." Harry said lamely.  
McGonagall flicked her wand and Harry's school things appeared in his arms. Defeated, Harry walked slowly back into the hallway. He glanced around dumbfounded. If he went to Herbology, he was certain Hermione would be there. On the other hand, McGonagall was right - as strange as it sounded, in class, surrounded by witnesses, might be the safest place for him at the moment. And besides… if he was going to be stuck in this caste, he couldn't really avoid Hermione forever. Or Ron, Harry winced to himself as the memory of his embarrassing piggy back ride through the caste on Ron's shoulder's surfaced. When this was all over, there was no _way_ he was going to live that down.

"Well then," Harry muttered to himself darkly, gripping his holly wand tightly inside of his robes. "I guess I'm going back to class."


	12. Allies

**A/N: Hello everyone, I hope you're staying safe out there. Since I (and probably a lot of you) am under quarantine, I thought I'd hopefully make everyone's day a little better with a new chapter. Enjoy! **

Sirius Black awoke after a long night of firewhiskey to the uncomfortable sensation of a bird pecking him relentlessly on the head.

"G'off Buckbeak." He said blearily, his head pounding as he tried to shift it further beneath his pillow. The pecking persisted. "STOP!"

Sirius sat upright in bed with a snarl only to find himself face to face with a very annoyed black barn owl. The owl ruffled its feather indignantly, seemingly unimpressed with both Sirius and the mess of a bedroom that he was currently inhabiting at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Sirius blinked at the bird, then reached out and took the letter tied to its knee curiously. Who would be sending him a letter? It had to be someone in the Order, otherwise the owl would never have been able to find the place. It wasn't Dumbledore, he would have just come in person. Harry would have sent Hedwig, and Remus was passed out in the room below him with the rest of the firewhiskey last he checked. So who….? He flipped it over and frowned at the Hogwarts seal, cracking it open with a quick flick of his thumbs.

_Dear Mr. Black: I trust that this letter is finding you well. I have some troubling news regarding your godson…._

Sirius scanned through the letter, his face darkening. His fist clenched tight, tearing the letter in two as the famous Black family temper rose in a hurricane of rage.  
"OH _HELL_ NO! REMUS!"

* * *

Sometimes, the most bizarre thing about life was its normalcy.

At least that's how Harry felt as he made his way to greenhouse three for his herbology lesson. He expected the world to seem entirely different after the outlandish day he had had yesterday, and yet – there was Hagrid's hut, and the lake, and Seamus and Dean scowling at him as they made their way past him in the same way they had since term had started. He sat down in the greenhouse next to Susan Bones, who smiled somewhat confusedly, no doubt wondering why he was choosing to avoid his usual spot at the front of the class next to Ron and Hermione. He returned her smile reflexively and wondered what exactly he was doing here. He should be off to the library to research his curse or on his broomstick halfway to Grimmauld Place. Since when did they ever sit back and let the adults take care of things? Harry trusted McGonagall, but – well, most of the time they had gotten things done on their own. Only of course, then "they" had included Hermione. Harry felt a pang in his chest and realized for the first time that they would never be "they" again. How many times had it been the three of them against the world? Only now Hermione had gone and blown it all to smithereens with this curse and Harry knew he would never, _never_, be able to see her the same way again.

_Unless, _Harry thought to himself darkly, _The curse doesn't give me a choice._

Ron and Hermione entered a moment later, Ron's face red as a tomato. Hermione was self-consciously dabbing at what looked suspiciously like tear tracks on her cheeks as Ron brushed past her rudely towards Harry. Her bottom lip quivered at that, but she straightened her spine and marched resolutely up to the front of the classroom and began meticulously organizing her gardening supplies. Ron scowled and slumped down in the seat across from Harry roughly.

"Alright mate?"

"Peachy." said Harry dryly.

"How are you-" Ron paused and glanced suspiciously at the confused Susan to his left. "How are you doing with - stuff."

"Brilliantly." Harry bit back. "Just splendid. Because my life didn't have enough rubbish to deal with, now she's gone and -" Harry paused, also darting a quick look at the surrounding Hufflepuffs. "Gone and done - this."

"Mental." Ron hissed, drawing in closer to Harry. "She's off her rocker, that one. Had the nerve try to lecture me on the way down here. Can you imagine?"

The flash of anger that rolled through Harry must have shown on his face because Ron quickly added "Not much we can do about it now though, is there? Not since Dumbledore got involved."

Up at the front of the greenhouse, Professor Sprout was calling the rest of the students to attention. Hannah Abbott shot the boys an annoyed look and then turned back to her notes. "We've been through worse." Harry muttered, ignoring Professor Sprout entirely and staring intently at the back of Hermione's head. "You don't reckon she's still got it on her do you? The book that she used to- to do _it_?"

"She must, we went through all those books at the library and the spell wasn't there. She's one step ahead of us mate, must be keeping it on her or in her dormitory."

"Where we can't get to it." Harry put his head in his hands and sighed. Then he sat up abruptly. "Ron… I might have an idea. But I'm not sure you're going to like it."

"So long as it means we never have to go through _that _again, I'm in. No offense mate, not that I didn't mind taking care of- _ahem._ Not that I didn't mind doing the, the _stuff _but.." Ron trailed off awkwardly and gave a small uncomfortable cough. Harry suddenly remembered riding around on Ron's shoulders and looked away in embarrassment.

"Um, yeah mate. Thanks for that. But I uh- I also hope we never have to do the- _stuff - _ever again."

"So what are you planning then?"

"I'm thinking," Harry said with a coy smile. "That maybe you might not be the only Weasley willing to help me."

"What?"

"Just trust me mate." said Harry, gathering up his things as Professor Sprout dismissed the class to begin potting their self-fertilizing shrubs. "I think I've got a plan."

Ron shrugged and followed Harry over to their plant, leaving a very confused Susan Bones behind at their table.

"What on earth was that all about?" asked Susan.

"The hell if I know." Hannah sniffed irritatedly. "Gryffindors. They're all nutters, the lot of them."

* * *

"No."

"Please?"

"No."  
"Why not?"

"Tell me why you need it."

"Bugger off."

"Ron! We're trying to get her to help-"  
"She's being a prat!"

"_I'm_ being a prat? You're the one asking me to steal from a friend for no reason!"  
"Just trust us-"

"No!"

"Ginny !"

The two Weasleys sat glowering across from one another as all around them students trickled in and out of the Great Hall for lunch. Harry ran his hands through his hair and sighed deeply.

"Ginny, please. Neither of us can get into the girls dormitory to look for it."

"Or the staircase will dump you back down on your arse, I know." Ginny scowled and took a bite of her potatoes. "Something's going on, and I'm not stealing from Hermione unless you tell me why. She'll know it had to be one of the Gryffindor girls that took it, and I'm not betraying her unless you have a very good reason. So spill."

Ron and Harry exchanged a meaningful glance and Ginny gave a huff of exasperation. "I already know somethings going on with Harry, I'm the one who found him wandering around this morning half out of his mind!"

"Keep your voice down!" Ron said frantically.

Ginny crossed her arms and gave them both a glare that reminded Harry violently of Mrs. Weasley. Ron flinched slightly but held his ground, meeting her glare with one of his own. Harry looked from one Weasley to the other and sighed.

"What if we tell you some of it? Would that be enough?"

Ginny considered for a moment. "Depends what you say."

"Harry…" Ron began.

"No, it's alright Ron." Harry looked into Ginny's curious brown eyes and smiled faintly. "I owe her one for this morning. Basically, Hermione has put a curse on me."  
Ginny's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT!"

"Keep your voice _down_!" Ron said again, reaching over the table and smacking her on the arm.

"Ow! Ron! A curse? Why? What kind?"  
"It's supposed to help me with my anger. But the end result is basically making me into the Harry she wants me to be." Ginny's face darkened, and Harry nodded. "Exactly. She thinks what she's doing is for the best, but she's taking away my free will."

"How?"

"That I can't tell you. Not because I don't want to!" Harry added quickly, as Ginny opened her mouth to argue. "But because it could put me even more at risk."  
Ginny considered this information for a moment. "Why don't you just go to Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore knows. He's decided not to do anything."  
Ginny gasped and Ron snorted in disgust. "So you see," Harry continued, "I don't really have a choice but to ask for your help."

Ginny paused for another moment, then nodded slowly. "I know what it's like to be under the control of someone else. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

"So you'll help me?" Harry asked desperately.

"Yes." said Ginny, looking over at Hermione on the other end of the Gryffindor table with an expression of pure disgust. "I'll help you Harry. With this and whatever else you need."

* * *

"Facti Sunt Puer." Remus Lupin muttered absentmindedly, skimming over the torn up letter as Sirius furiously got himself ready for their trip to Dumbledore's office. "Facti Sunt Puer. Why does that sound so familiar?"

"Because," Sirius spat, angrily tossing a handful of floo powder into the fireplace and watching the flames turn a bright emerald green. "That's the same spell my parents used on me."


	13. Bloody Brilliant

**A/N: BEDS EMPTY! NO NOTE! CAR GONE! YOU COULD HAVE DIED! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SEEN! **

**Sorry everyone, but seriously, where HAVE I been? Whelp, to be honest with you? Your girl got the Corona Virus. And it SUCKED, and I was super exhausted for like a long time after, and kinda forgot about this. But I'm back and I'm sorry, and I have chapter 13 for you all, so I hope you like it. Yay. Here you go.**

* * *

Sometimes the hardest thing about Dumbledore was not punching him right in his stupid, crooked nose.

Sirius sat fuming in the chair across from the headmaster, fists clenched in anger while Remus paced anxiously up and down the length of his office. Sirius gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to bolt down the staircase, grab Harry and run. His uncut fingernails bit painfully into the palms of his hands and he slowly unclenched, taking a long deep breath. Remus paused briefly in his pacing to shoot him a warning glance, which Sirius ignored. He glared up at the old man and tried again.

"Harry's troubled past aside, there's really no reason to subject him to such a thing. It's barbaric."

"As I have told you twice before, Mr. Black, this experiment is for Harry's own good. To right the wrongs that have been done to him, so to speak."

"IT DOESN'T RIGHT THE WRONGS!" Sirius exploded. Remus put a warning hand on his shoulder and he shook it off. "It turns you into the person that you don't want to be!"

"Sirius," Remus said quietly. "Hermione is not your parents."

"No, she's much worse!" Sirius snarled back. "She's supposed to be Harry's friend."  
"And that is precisely why Ms. Granger has taken the steps she has taken." Dumbledore said sagely. "She feels that this may be one way to help Harry work through the trauma that has been done to him, and I have decided to let them try. If Harry shows no improvement at the end of the month, we shall of course lift the curse immediately."

"There must be something else we can do." Remus ran his hands through his greying hair tiredly. "A healer Harry can see in secret, something."

"There is not." Dumbledore said gravely, his half-moon glasses glinting. "Or I would have already done it."  
"So you leave him alone." Sirius gritted his teeth. "And let him work through it in his own way."  
"Ms. Granger was right about one thing- the ministry is looking for any reason to expel Harry. Something must be done, sooner rather than later. I would not have taken this step on my own, but seeing as the action has already been taken…"  
"You've got no right to make any decision regarding Harry! I'm his godfather!"  
"Not legally." Remus murmured softly. He sighed deeply, and then looked over at Dumbledore, avoiding Sirius's gaze. "Do you really feel that this is in Harry's best interested long term?"

"Remus!" Sirius shouted.

"I'm not sure." Dumbledore admitted. "But, as someone who has had a front row seat to much of the misfortune to befall Mr. Potter these last few years, I do believe that we owe it to him to try."

Remus considered that carefully for a moment, then turned and looked at Sirius.

"Sirius…"  
"NO!" Remus flinched as Sirius jumped out of his seat. "You can't be serious Remus!"

"If Dumbledore feels that this may be best for Harry, maybe we owe it to him to try."  
"It's never in anyone's best interest to take away their free will! Never!"

"That isn't what this is!" Remus snapped. "This isn't your parents trying to get you to swallow some pure blood manina, this is Harry working through trauma under the supervision of Dumbledore and half the Order. You heard him, if it isn't helping - they'll stop it immediately."

Sirius looked from one to the other incredulously.

"You've gone mad." He whispered. "You've both gone mad."

"Mr. Black," Dumbledore said reassuringly. "I can promise you, we have Harry's best interest at heart. Think of it this way, if you _had _had the pleasure of raising Harry - there would have been times where, as the parent, you would have had to do things that made your charge unhappy for their long term benefit. Anything less and you would have produced an undisciplined child unfit for society. This is no different."

Sirius stood there, dumbstruck but slowly realizing that there was nothing that he could do. _I promise I'll get you out of this Harry_. He swore, following Remus back toward the fireplace mutely. _I promise._

"After all," Dumbledore ended knowingly. "It's for the greater good."

* * *

"It's not there."

One week later, Ron, Harry, and Ginny sat morosely in the library surrounded by large stacks of research. Harry and Ron had decided that for the time being they would continue to search for information about _Facti Sunt Puer_ in other books, but it was becoming abundantly clear that either the spell was so obscure and dark that Hogwarts did not permit its student to study it, or Hermione had been very thorough in removing all information that could help them lift the curse. Harry moaned and leaned back in his chair gloomily, while Ron glared at his sister in annoyance.

"So keep looking."

"Ron, I can't just jump Hermione and go rifling through her things! It's not in her dormitory, I've checked three times."

"I told you it was a bad idea to get her involved Harry."

"It was your idea." Harry said absentmindedly, flipping through a book on animagus transformation. "Originally at least. You suggested it during our first study session, remember?"

"And it was a bad one. I don't know why you keep listening to me."

"Prat." Ginny glanced over their research and Ron covered his book protectively. "Why won't you just let me help you look?"

"None of your business. Now if you'll excuse me, if you're not going to be of use Harry and I actually have a lot of things to take care of."

"Have you considered that looking for a book in Hermione Granger's things is exactly like looking for a needle in a haystack? _Especially _if you won't give me more than a vague description of what to look for?"

Ron opened his mouth to snap back at her but Harry shook his head and sighed deeply. "Thanks Ginny, we appreciate it. We're going to keep searching by ourselves now if you don't mind."  
Ginny scowled. "There's nothing weak about asking for help." She said quietly.  
Harry's temper flared to the surface immediately. "Yes, _thank_ you. I'll keep that in mind. We're good here." He spat.

Ginny scowled again and flounced away, leaving Harry with a small ounce of guilt that he quickly shook off. He redirected his attention back to Ron and their mountain of research. "Where are we at?"

"Nothing." Ron grumbled. "Not a thing."

"Great." Harry stretched out and closed the book in front of him. "You reckon we ought to take a look at that potions essay before we move on?"

Ron nodded reluctantly. "Let's head back to the Common Room first. I can't stand the way Pince watches us. Like she thinks we're about to start a bonfire or something."

"Under the cloak?"

"We'd better, yeah."  
Over the last week as they desperately searched for a cure, Harry had done his best to live by McGonagall's advice - Hermione could not de-age him if they were surrounded by people she didn't want to know their secret. This had meant largely that he had taken to following a very confused Neville around to classes and meals, and only going to bed after Seamus and Dean had both made their way into their dormitory. When they couldn't travel in a pack, they'd been forced to use the invisibility cloak and found that the two of them fit much less comfortably under it than they had when they were twelve.

"Bloody Hell." Ron groaned. "I've just remembered. I've got Prefect duty with her tonight."

"Well, at least we'll know she's not up to something."

The two of them made their way out of the library and up to Gryffindor tower. Ron ducked out from under the invisibility cloak and poked his head through the portrait hole, then motioned to Harry that it was safe to follow.

Inside the Common Room the twins were busy trying to convince Neville to eat one of their sweets, while Colin Creevy and his brother Dennis were eagerly insisting that they would try it. Harry and Ron moved to their usual seats in front of the fire and worked listlessly at their potions essays.

"You'd think we'd get a bit of a break, all things considering. Merlin, OWLS aren't for months! The professors are acting like they're next week or something."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, flipping desperately through his notes for something to pad his intro with. "We don't really need all this revising."

Ron grunted in agreement but didn't voice what they were both thinking: they wouldn't be this far behind if they still had Hermione to look over their work for them.

_Hermione. Another person who thinks she knows exactly what I need. _Thought Harry snidely. Then all of a sudden he sat bolt upright in his chair.  
"Ron! That's it! What we need! I know how to find the counter-curse!"  
"What?!" Ron threw his essay carelessly back in his bag and leaned in closer. "How?"  
"What we _need_ Ron. Or should I say, what we require." Harry smiled a satisfied smile, shoved his homework to the side and raced down and out of the portrait hole. "The Room of Requirement! It gives you whatever you need - we can use it to find the counter-curse!"

"Brilliant"! Ron sprinted along beside him to the seventh floor corridor. They paused beside the painting of the troll, excited but out of breath. "But how do we get in?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." said Harry. Ron nudged at the stone wall with his foot, but nothing appeared. "Uh, Room? Can you… do the thing?"

"Room can you do the thing?" Harry echoed incredulously.

"Well _I'm_ sorry, did you have a better idea?"

"How did we manage to get in before?" Harry muttered, half to himself. He tried to think back to that moment. Ron had been… looking around? It was hard to remember, he'd been too focused on how funny he thought it was to look like a talking head. He'd bobbed back and forth, giggling to himself as he pulled the invisibility cloak up over his body. Then the door had appeared and Hermione had pulled them through….

Harry hesitantly began to pace the length of the wall, quietly murmuring to himself. "We need to figure out how to break this curse, we need to find out how to stop Hermione, we need to figure out how to undo the spell…"

"Have you gone mad?" Ron asked pleasantly.

Harry shook his head and kept walking. On the third time, a door appeared out of nowhere on the wall in front of them.  
"Bloody hell!"

"Get in!" Harry hissed, shoving Ron through the door and glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching them. Harry slammed the door behind them and pulled out the Marauder's map, looking frantically for the dot labeled "Hermione Granger." He noted with relief that she was safely in McGonagall's room, no doubt getting her Prefect instructions for the evening.

"Harry! Come and take a look at this!"  
Harry spun around and let out a gasp.

The room was full of cauldrons, each simmering quietly over a small fire as though waiting to be of use. On the far side of the room was a small apothecary full of potion ingredients which appeared to be better stocked than even Snape's personal supply. Harry bent down and picked up a book off the table near the closest cauldron.

"_Potions of the Darkest Arts_." Harry murmured excitedly. He flipped to the table of contents and broke into a wide grin. "Found it! _Facti Sunt Puer_!"

"What does it say?"

Harry sat down on a stool in front of one of the cauldrons and skimmed the potion instructions. "Counter-curse, counter-curse, COME ON. Where is it- Here it is! In order to lift _Facti Sunt Puer_, we have to brew the potion and cast the spell again on the affected person. Set the spell to their original age, and it should counteract the first spell."

"We need to brew the potion again? Blimey, Harry." Ron frowned, looking over the instructions with a furrowed brow. "This is NEWT level stuff."

"And it takes about a month to brew, Hermione must have started it right as we arrived back at school - knew she was mad. Anyway, we brew the potion, set it to fifteen, and then you cast it on me."

"And if we screw it up?"

"Uhhh…" Harry looked at the potential trouble spots listed under the potion and swallowed hard. "Let's not screw it up."

"Brilliant. Let's get started right away." Ron eagerly grabbed for the potions book but Harry closed it sharply and shook his head.

"No. _You've_ got to get to Prefect duty before Hermione realizes that something's wrong."

Ron scowled and looked at his watch. "I'm late already. Who cares? McGonagall's not going to take points from us now, not since you- well uh. You know."  
"Had a breakdown in her office, yeah. Thanks. I remember." Harry felt his face grow hot again and cleared his throat. "It's not McGonagall, if Hermione realizes what's going on she might go to Dumbledore, then we're REALLY screwed."

"Fine." Ron rolled his eyes and stood up from his stool. "Tomorrow night then? After Quidditch dinner?"  
"Perfect." Harry slammed the book shut and picked up the invisibility cloak, feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks. "Ron, if all this goes well, I should be back to normal in a month."

"Bite your tongue, mate. When does it ever go well for us?"  
Harry laughed and threw open the door, stepping out into the hallway and draping the invisibility cloak over himself. "Don't be such a-"

"THESTRAL!"

Harry let out a gasp as the tingling sensation overtook him. His lungs were screaming for air as his skin and skull felt like they were stretched in two. He let out a cry of pain as the tingling turn to burning, turned to shivering, and then -

He collapsed onto the floor, shuddering as the invisibility cloak slipped off of him. His glasses bit uncomfortably into the bridge of his nose as he lay on his side on the cold stone ground. He blinked up wearily into the merciless face of Hermione Granger, and noted with despair that he was once again, five years old.

"Hermione!" Harry squeaked out, trying and failing to sound menacing. "What are you doing here?"  
"Looking for Ron, and it's a good thing I did." Ron thought quickly and slammed the door to the Room of Requirement shut, vanishing the potion equipment behind them. Hermione glared at him and put her hands on her hips.

"So, this is where you've been hiding? Very clever."  
_She doesn't know about the spell! _Harry realized suddenly. He scowled and climbed clumsily to his feet. "Well, you wouldn't leave us the hell alone anywhere else we went."  
"Language, Harry."

"Screw you." Snapped Ron.

Hermione threw her hands up in the air as though exasperated, but couldn't quite hide her self-satisfied smile. "Well, you might as well turn right back around and go back in. I'll be along after Prefect duties, but until then - Ron, can you babysit?"  
Ron grabbed Harry by the collar as he lunged for Hermione and dragged him back into the Room. Harry was horrified to see that it had returned to being the little boys room that Hermione had put together. He continued cussing and thrashing against Ron's arms as Hermione let out a dignified sniff and shut the door behind them. Ron sighed and unceremoniously dumped Harry onto the floor.

"Ouch! Git, what was that for?"

"You're not really a kid again for another couple hours, suck it up. Honestly Harry, what exactly did you think you were going to be able to do to her like you are now? You're three feet tall."  
Ron looked down and was shocked to see Harry smiling, broadly.

"Do you think she bought it?" Harry asked mischievously.

"Bought what?"

"This room," Harry started, pacing over to the fireplace. "This room gives you whatever you want, right?"  
"Yeah…"  
Harry noticed there was a small pot sitting on the mantle, where previously there had been none. His grin widened as he summoned the pot into his hand and took a handful of the powder within, then held the pot out to Ron.

"Brilliant. Bloody brilliant." Ron said, taking it from him. "Where are we going?"

By way of answer, Harry threw his powder into the fire and stepped into it. "GRIMMAULD PLACE!"


	14. Sweet Dreams

**A/N: Each and every one of your reviews is a joy to me, thank you so much! I hope that you enjoy this new chapter. **

Harry tumbled out of the fireplace in a somersault of school robes and soot, coughing wildly as he tried to get out of Ron's way. Ron came through a moment later, trying to cover his concern with his normal cocky exterior when he saw Harry in a heap on the floor.

"What is it with you and the floo, mate?" You can't ever just step out of the fireplace like a normal person?"

Harry coughed one more time, flipped Ron off, and slowly got to his feet. "You reckon we can do magic here? I mean, I know we're underage, but this place is supposed to be unplottable and we forgot to shrink my robes before we came through here."

Ron shrugged. "I reckon it's probably alright. Maybe I'd better do it though, I haven't been on trial for misuse of magic lately."

Harry stuck his tongue out at Ron and shook his head. "That's alright, we can just ask Sirius! He'll know what to do."  
"Oh, right. Where do you think he is?"

"Only one way to find out." Harry picked his robes up off the floor, shuffled to the doorway and bellowed "SIRIUS!"  
"Harry?!" came an incredulous voice from the hall. Sirius stepped into the kitchen, shock and dismay plain on his face. "Oh Merlin, Harry! No!"

"McGonagall _did_ tell you then." Harry said, shaking the dirt out of his hair with his fingers. "I wasn't sure- I mean, when I didn't hear from you I wondered-"

Sirius darted across the room to him, bending down examining him anxiously. "You didn't get any of my letters?"

"No." Harry scowled. "Dumbledore?"

"Or Umbridge." added Ron. "I wouldn't put it past her, even if she doesn't know that something's going on. She hates you mate."

Sirius snorted. "I don't doubt it, she has that reputation. You should hear Remus…" Sirius trailed off awkwardly, a flash of anger crossing his face. "Nevermind. How are you here?"

"The Room of Requirement." Harry sat down at the large kitchen table and explained all that had transpired in the last week, from McGonagall's intervention and sneaking around the castle, to their desperate search for the cure that ended with them in the Room of Requirement that evening. When they got to the part about Hermione triggering his curse, Sirius let out a string of cuss words that would have made Fred and George proud.

"That bitch!" Sirius growled when he had finally finished with his tirade.

"Tell me about it." Ron said, barely suppressing a yawn. Harry nodded and fidgeted uncomfortably in his too-big chair, glad that Sirius at least seemed to be of the same mind as them.  
"She's the _worst_." Harry piped up, picking at a loose piece of wood in the table . "And now I've gotta do it all over again!"

Sirius squinted at Harry for a moment, then slammed his hand down hard onto the table. "**Harry**!"

Harry and Ron both jumped, startled by the sudden noise.

"Bloody Hell, what did you do that for?" Ron grumbled, staring at Sirius as though he had lost his mind.

"He was fading." Sirius said, staring intently into Harry's eyes. "Starting to slip into the child-mindset."

Harry turned bright red and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."  
"Not his fault." muttered Ron. "Don't need to go scaring the crap out of him."  
"He's only forty-five minutes in, he shouldn't be having trouble repressing it yet if he's paying attention."

"He's right." Harry said absentmindedly, feeling embarrassed that Sirius had noticed his slip. Wait a moment. How did Sirius know about the mental de-aging process?  
"You know about the curse!" Harry declared excitedly. "How it works and everything. Why? How? Can you help us break it?"

Sirius smiled sardonically and leaned back in his chair. "No Harry, I'm afraid if you and your friend have found a way to break _Facti Sunt Puer_ then you two are ahead of me. The reason I know about the curse…" His lips curled back into an unpleasant smile. "Is because my parents cast it on me."

Harry gasped and Sirius smiled again unhappily. "Oh yes. It was their last ditch effort to save their precious Black heir from the ways of the light. It was that or keep me under the imperius curse at all times, which my mother didn't quite fancy."

"How old were you?" asked Ron.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "Sixteen. The spell made me three."  
"What did you do?" Harry wrapped his arms tightly around himself at the thought of Sirius going through the same thing that he was - no. worse. Hermione thought she meant well, Mrs. Black had been trying to make a monster out of Sirius. _And_ Harry thought to himself. _Five was at least better than three._

"I bloody well ran away." Sirius continued. He pointed his wand at the cupboard and a bottle of firewhisky appeared on the table. He poured himself a glass, took a stiff drink, then continued. "I waited for a moment where I was in my right mind, ran straight to your grandparents house and I never looked back. Mum and Dad were the only ones who had the power to activate it, so I stayed away until they were both dead. That was the last time I saw this place, the day of my escape. That is, until the Order moved in."

"Merlin." Ron reached over and poured himself a glass of firewhiskey as well. "So you have no idea what to do about it?"  
"I didn't say that." Sirius abandoned his glass and took a swig straight from the bottle. "I'm looking for something of mine, something your grandparents gave me. It was supposed to help with the curse, I never got to use it though so I'm not sure if it really works. My guess is it ended up here with the rest of my things when I was arrested, but I have no idea what my mother would have done with it - or if she even knew what it really was."

"What was it?" Harry reached for the firewhiskey bottle, but Sirius snatched it up again with a roll of his eyes as Ron gave his hand an absentminded swat.

"What does it do?" Harry asked once more, somewhat ill-temperedly.

"It was a bracelet. And if you're wearing it at the time the curse is activated, it's supposed to keep you from ass-kissing the person who de-aged you."

"It stops the attachment part of the curse?" Harry lit up considerably, bouncing up and down in his chair with glee. "Then, it would stop me from liking Hermione? And wanting to be her friend?"

"In theory. As long as you were wearing the bracelet when she said 'thestral'."

"So where do we start looking? Mrs. Weasley already got rid of a lot of stuff, right? Should we try looking in the bedrooms? Or maybe the attic upstairs? Where did your mother put the rest of your stuff? If we can find that, maybe we can find the rest of it…."

"I think Molly finished the drawing room, the kitchen, and the smaller bedrooms. I haven't been able to look through everything but none of the stuff she's gone through has been mine. The attic might be a good bet, but I have to warn you Harry, there's a high chance she threw it out. There was no love lost between us."

"Still though, if my grandparents found you one, there's got to be others out there!" Harry stood up on his chair and beamed. Ron reached over with one hand and yanked him down onto his rear without taking his eyes off Sirius.

"But it won't work for this time, even if we find it, will it?" Ron stifled another yawn and glanced at the still beaming Harry. "Come tomorrow, he's still going to be trying to get back to Hermione come hell or high water. What are you going to do then?"

"No I won't!" Harry whined, crossing his arms in adorable indignance. Sirius sniggered and Harry froze, took a deep breath in thru his nose, and then blew out a puff of air thru his mouth.

"Sorry. That _is_ a problem. What are we going to do when the Order comes looking, or when I try to get back to Hermione?"

"I don't think the Order will care one way or another, so long as you're being looked after." Sirius said slowly. "Hermione - well. She's a bit more of a problem, but really, what is she going to do about it? I'm your godfather. If everything had gone according to plan, I would have been the one to raise you in the first place."

"So we just wait for them to figure it out." Ron said quietly.

"I… think you should go back Ron." Harry muttered.

"What? No!" Ron glowed at Harry, who set his jaw and stared right back at him.  
"Ron, Sirius can take care of me. I can't be your responsibility over and over again. It's- It's probably better that you don't get in the middle if Sirius has to work things out with Dumbledore. And your parents-"

"Screw my parents!"

"Ron, you're missing school-"

"Screw school!"

"Harry," Sirius said softly. "We're not going to think any differently of you. None of this is your fault."  
"I know that!" Harry snapped, running his tiny hand through his hair angrily. "I'm not anyone's bloody burden to bear, alright?"

"Oh, okay then." Ron stood up and threw his hands in the air. "A basilisk? Sure, let's go find the Chamber of Secrets! Man eating spiders? No problem! A blood thirsty murder?"

"Oi! Alleged murderer!" Sirius broke in.

"Let's run off to the shrieking shack to face him! _Babysitting_ however-"

"I don't want you to see me like that anymore." Harry's little voice quivered and he pulled his knees up to his chest under his robes. It wasn't right, Ron had seen _everything. _Ron had seen his cupboard, and they'd talked about his dreams - and now he was going to cry like a baby in front of Ron too. Harry wiped a tear away from his eye angrily and buried his face in his knees. A second later he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't think about what that must be like for you. I know the spell- you shared some pretty intense - well. I'd hate it if it was me."

"Im'fine." Harry sniffed and peaked out at Ron with sad eyes. "I don't - I don't want - you're my friend."

"Yeah, of course I am buddy." Ron said, rubbing Harry's back soothingly.

"You're my friend. Not a grownup. S'not your job."  
Ron stopped rubbing and looked down at Harry awkwardly. "Well, uh. I mean. I don't want to embarrass you."

"Ron, I want you here." Harry pleaded. "But it's not the real me."

"No, I got it." Ron stood up and walked back over to the fireplace. "I guess I'll just see you tomorrow then."  
"Ron-"

"No really it's fine. Let me know if you need anything."

Harry sniffled as Ron grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the flames. "Hogwarts!" he shouted, and then in a rush of emerald green he was gone.  
"Harry," Sirius murmured. "I'm not sure that was the best choice."  
"I don't want him to see me like this." Harry leaned his head against the chair, suddenly aware of how tired he really was. "Stupid tiny body."

Sirius reached over and scooped Harry up into his arms, and Harry had to fight the desire to lean his head into the crook of Sirius's shoulder. "I can walk." Harry argued feebly.

Sirius didn't answer him, carrying him up the stairs and laying him to rest in the same bed he always stayed in while at Grimmauld Place. Harry's head was really drooping now, and he snuggled in the pillows with an intense sense of relief.

"Sirius," Harry said as his godfather turned the light off and walked into the hallway. "When I wake up, I'll really be five."

"We'll cross the bridge when we come to it." Sirius rapped his knuckles on the door twice and then sighed. "Good night Harry."

"G'night Sirius." Harry slurred, burrowing further into this pillow. Sirius smiled mournfully at the sight, then walked out into the hallway.

"Sweet dreams."


	15. Flying the Coop

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the next chapter for you. A special shout out to CollisionCourse99, DarkPheonix31, and VivitheFolle for your wonderful reviews - Thank you so much, glad you're enjoying! Just a heads up, I have to write three term papers in the next three weeks, so I have no idea how frequently I'll be updating, it all depends on how much I decide to neglect my responsibilities which is anyone's guess really. Anyways, enjoy! **

"I told you to go and find Mr. Weasley and determine what was keeping him from his Prefect duties. _Not_ to de-age Mr. Potter once again!"

Professors McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey, and Professor Dumbledore followed a smug Hermione Granger down the fifth floor corridor toward the Room of Requirement. McGonagall was seething, her lips so fine they seemed to have vanished. Professor Dumbeldore put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which she shook off distractedly.

"My Dear Professor, I do believe this was part of the deal." Dumbledore reminded her gently.

"I am well aware of your _deal_ Albus. Just as I am well aware of the toll _one_ de-aging took on Mr. Potter's mental state."

"He should have been brought to me immediately." Madame Pomfrey muttered.

"He was fine." Hermione said, glancing behind her as she began to pace back and forth in front of the spot where the Room would appear. "He just worked himself into a panic is all."

"And here I was thinking the whole point of this buffoonery was to spare Potter further mental distress." McGonagall snapped. "Albus, I beg you once again -"

"Halloween, Minerva." Dumbledore said simply, his blue eyes flashing over his half-rimmed glasses. "We owe Mr. Potter that."

Hermione finished pacing and the large, solid door appeared right in front of the quartet. "After you, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore gestured graciously. Hermione opened the door and stepped into the room, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the dim firelight.  
"Harry? Harry are you still sulking? If you give into the compulsions it will go much faster - Harry?" Hermione looked around the room, confusion giving way to horror. "Ron - take off the invisibility cloak, this isn't funny."

Hermione began to dart nervously around the room, lifting up pillows and looking under the dressers. "I spelled it so they couldn't leave by the door - last time we lost Harry he had just magicked himself a cupboard. He's got to be around here somewhere!"  
Madame Pomfrey and McGonagall exchanged a grim glance, then McGonagall pulled out her wand and cried "_Homenum Revelio_!"

Nothing happened.

All three of the women turned to Professor Dumbledore, who looked back at them and shook his head slowly.

"Dobby!" Hermione screamed.

The tiny houself appeared with a CRACK and a bow, his head piled high with dozens of Hermione's homemade hats. "Yes, Harry Potter's 'Mione?"

"Where is he? Where is Harry Dobby?"  
Dobby gulped and wrung his fingers together nervously. "Dobby is not knowing, Miss, Dobby was not watching the come and go room. He was cleaning the dungeons with the other elves, he was not knowing that you needed Dobby tonight. Dobby is so sorry, miss, Dobby will-"  
"There is no need for punishment, Dobby. I think it will suffice if you can enlighten us to where Mr. Potter is now."

Dobby paused for a moment, then his giant eyes filled with tears. "Dobby is not knowing sir. Wherever it is, it is a place Dobby cannot get in."  
"A place a houself can't go?" Hermione frowned, working her fingers into her bushy hair in a way that made her seem slightly less than sane. "How could they have gotten out? And to a place houself magic couldn't access?"

"I have several guesses, each as unlikely as the next. But I think that perhaps this is not the place to discuss such things."  
"I don't _understand_." Hermione clutched her head harder, and looked up at her teachers with tears rolling down her face. "No portkeys, no apparating, the fireplace CAN'T be connected to the floo network - I thought of everything. Everything! How could he have escaped?"  
"Oh honestly." said Madame Pomfrey, rolling her eyes at Hermione's theatrics. "It's Harry Potter. I really don't know what you expected."

* * *

Azkaban hurt all the more now that Sirius was beginning to understand what he had been robbed of.

Harry slept soundly in his bed, the sunrise reflecting off the glasses both he and Sirius had forgotten to take off of his face. Sirius wondered randomly how young Harry had been when he started needing glasses. Younger than five? Sirius frowned to himself when he thought about the coercing Lily's sister had probably needed to take her nephew to get something as simple as an eye exam. Had little Harry even known to speak up about it? Or had his exam been the result of a well meaning teacher or family friend?

Sirius glanced down at his watch and wondered at what point he should wake Harry up. Weren't little children supposed to sleep a lot? Would it be wrong to let Harry sleep all day? He'd probably earned it, but maybe that didn't reflect best on Sirius's parenting? Merlin, this was harder than he thought it was going to be and the kid was still asleep! Luckily for Sirius the matter was settled for him when he glanced back up from his watch to see a pair of emerald green eyes staring back at him intently.

"Harry!" Sirius said in surprise. "I'm sorry, I thought you were sleeping, I didn't wake you up did I?"

"No." Harry gave adorable yawn and rubbed his eyes with the hem of his robes. "I waked up earlier but I went back to sleep 'cause I didn't know if I was 'loud to get up."

Sirius's breath caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. Knowing that Harry would really be five years old when he woke up and hearing him talk like a child were two very different things.

"This is your godfather's house Harry." Sirius gave him his patented Marauder smirk and bounced down onto the bed next to him playfully. "You can do whatever you want."

Then Sirius turned into Padfoot and began licking Harry's cheek. Harry giggled and half-heartedly tried to push him away with cries of "Padfoot! No!" Sirius grinned wolfishly and flopped over onto his belly right on top of Harry, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Harry's giggles turned into full blown laughter as he tried to stop his godfather from licking his chin. Harry gave one mighty shove that Sirius let him believe was strong enough to knock the giant dog to the floor, and Harry jumped off the bed - cheeks flushed and eyes bright. Harry gave a huff of pretend annoyance and stuck his pointer finger out at Sirius.

"Bad dog!" Harry laughed and wagged his finger at him. "I'm going to the loo! Stay!"

Sirius sat down on his haunches and pretended to freeze. Harry giggled again and ran off in search of the toilet. As Sirius listened to him take care of business and start to make his way back to the bedroom, he transformed back into a man and yelled: "Don't forget to wash your hands!"

"I'm not!" Harry yelled back quickly, running back into the loo for what Sirius was sure were _totally _unrelated reasons.

Sirius glanced up at the frame where the portrait of his great-great-grandfather hung empty. He rolled his eyes up at it and sighed: "You may as well come back."

Phineas Nigellus Black did not deign to re-enter the frame, but his voice drifted into the room from the empty portrait, full of sarcasm and venom. "I wouldn't want to intrude on such a touching, _family_ moment."

Sirius growled and the portrait sniffed indignantly. "Really, I swear you're more of a beast as you are now than in your mongrel form."

"You told Dumbledore Harry is here?"

"Obviously."

"Good." Sirius stood up and moved closer to the frame. "Then you can pass this message along to him as well." He yanked the portrait off the wall, crossed to the dresser and opened one of the drawers dramatically. "Harry will be back when he's back to his right self. Until then, should ANYONE try to intervene, or take him away, or mess with his head - Dumbledore can find himself a new headquarters. Is that understood?"

"I will pass the message along." said Phineas stiffly.

"Good." Sirius dropped the portrait into the drawer and slammed it shut with a look of intense satisfaction. He made it halfway to the doorway, then froze, stormed back over and yanked the drawer open again.

"One more thing," He added. "If Dumbledore tells Hermione Granger where Harry is, and she takes it upon herself to come here - I'll kill her. Make sure to tell him that. If I see Granger anywhere near Harry, she's toast."

Then with a snap of his wrist he slammed the drawer shut and strode toward the loo. "Come on Harry, let's see if I can figure out how to make pancakes."

* * *

"Okay Ron, where is he?"  
Ron Weasley sat at the Gryffindor table, bags prominent beneath his blue eyes. He took a bite of his toast and steadfastly ignored his seething former-friend.

"Who?" asked Neville curiously.

Hermione gritted her teeth and glanced furiously around at her fellow Gryffindors. "Ron, may I speak to you in the common room please?"

Ron took a sip of his pumpkin juice, and continued staring straight ahead.

"RON!" Several heads at the surrounding tables looked around to see who was making all the noise. Hermione blushed and quickly shoved into the too-small space next to Neville, who sighed and got up to leave.

"No Neville, stay. We were having a nice breakfast." Ron said, gesturing with his bacon and shooting the blonde boy a small smile. "I don't hear anything."  
"_Ron_." Hermione hissed, leaning in intensely, her bushy hair getting in Neville's butter. "_This isn't funny. You need to tell me where he is._"

"Nice day for Quidditch, don't you think Nev?"

"Please Ron, Dumbledore won't tell me! He's got to be so scared, wondering why I've left him all alone-"

"I've had half a mind to try out for Keeper, but I'm not sure if I've got a shot at it."

"Ron!" Hermione shrieked again, coming close to hysterics. " You need to tell me, this is serious! We can't be the only ones who've noticed he's go-"

"_Hem-Hem."_

**A/N: You had to know she was going to show up at some point, right? MWAHAHA. **


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